Privacy is something rarely to be found in Pine Valley. As Liza sat at her desk examining the results of her home pregnancy test, David, who happened to be walking down the hall to the studio, peered through the office window at her. David watched curiously as Liza broke down in tears. David walked into her office and Liza scurried to hide her pregnancy test. David wanted to know why Liza was crying and Liza wanted to know why David was at the station. David answered first, saying that he was attending the governor's press conference. Liza dodged the question she'd been asked and told David that it was none of her business why she was crying. Liza snapped that it was no one's business but her own. David's response was quite interesting. He asked, "Not even the baby's father?" David tried every way he knew to get Liza to tell him whether or not her test result was positive. Liza didn't so much as give him a hint. He continued on by asking Liza if she was crying because she was having second thoughts about having a baby by herself. That opened up the flood gates. Liza said that she was "terrified" that the result would come back negative and that now that the result showed she was, in fact, pregnant she couldn't be more thrilled. Liza assured David that having a baby on her own was exactly what she wanted. She didn't want David and the "Adams of the world" to interfere in her life. She went on to say that even if the next ninth months were filled with nothing but nauseousness, she would still be overjoyed. Liza suddenly stopped talking. She realized that she'd just blabbed the results of her pregnancy test---as well as other information. She told David to disregard what she'd just said and urged him to hurry up and go to his press conference. David, it should be known, was slated to perform bypass surgery on the governor. He was attending the governor's press conference so that he could field any medical questions thrown by the media. David agreed to leave, but asked if he could borrow a notepad and pen. Liza was headed towards the door and, presumably, other projects at the station. She told the doctor where he could get the things he requested and then went off on her way. David found the notepad with little difficulty. He opened up Liza's desk drawer and rummaged around for a pen. When he looked down, he saw the picture of Adam that Liza had stashed in her drawer---and stared longingly at on several occasions. He pursed his lips and nodded slightly. He placed the picture back in the drawer, took a pen, and then closed the drawer. As he was headed out the door, Rudy popped by with a report that Liza had requested. The topic of the report focused on competing station's medical programs and specials. Rudy surmised that David was the reason that Liza had requested the report. After Rudy dashed off to get back to work, David started reading the report. He somehow knew---or perhaps hoped---that Liza would soon be contacting him.
Things at the courthouse showed no signs of cooling down even though closing arguments were about top be delivered in Brooke's trial. In the hallway, Brooke thanked Trevor for all that he's done for her. It was one of the few times that none of the members of the media were lurking around. Trevor returned to the courtroom while Brooke took a sip from the water fountain. When she turned around to head back to the courtroom, Brooke came face to face with Bob Thomasen. Bob's attitude hadn't changed much since the pair's previous encounter in the witness room. Bob blasted Brooke for trying to paint his brother as a monster. "What kind of woman are you?" Bob snarled. He insisted that his younger brother loved Brooke and that he was a wonderful guy. Brooke tried to convince Bob that he didn't know the "real" Jim Thomasen. It did her no good. Brooke demanded that Bob step out of the way and let her pass. Bob didn't budge. Every time Brooke took a step in the other direction, Bon took a step right alone with her. A sole member of the paparazzi showed up and prepared to snap a picture of the encounter. Fortunately, Dimitri showed up and blocked the shot. He then took a step towards Bob. Bob remembered his last run-in with Dimitri and quickly scurried off to the courtroom. Brooke broke down in tears as she wondered if she'd done the right thing by going through with the trial. She had been offered a chance to plead guilty to a lesser count and server a maximum of five years. Had she made a mistake by trusting the system. Dimitri told Brooke that she'd done the right thing and encouraged her to keep her chin up.
As per legal guidelines, closing arguments are given more leeway in the amount of emotion and basic chatter that they can contain. Keith presented his closing arguments first, followed by Trevor, and then a brief rebuttal by Keith. Keith used Brooke's testimony against her. He told the jury that Brooke had claimed to have been scared of Jim Thomasen. If that was the case, then why did she lure that same man to a gallery---at night---where she was alone? Not only had she lured Jim to the gallery, but she had also hung an assortment of naked photos of Laura on the wall and thought enough ahead of time to pack a loaded gun in her purse. Keith was drawing a picture that he hoped would convince the jury that Brooke had planned to kill Jim. In a seemingly ill advised move, Keith again played up Brooke's failed romances. He said that Jim had fallen victim to Brooke's desperate attempt to prevent another man from walking out of her life. Keith reminded the jury that they were not there to judge the actions of the victim. Was he a pornographer? That, he said, didn't matter. What the jury did need to decided, continued the attorney, was to realize that Brooke had acted out a cold, premeditated murder. The gallery, he grandstanded, had been turned into an execution chamber. All Brooke had to do was call the police and she would never have had to use a weapon. Brooke, Keith went on, didn't want to go the easy route. She wanted to kill Jim Thomasen. In his closing argument, Trevor once again relied on the photographs found in Jim's safe deposit box. "Dirty little pictures won't kill you. Crossing me will," Trevor said quoting Jim's parting words at the gallery. Jim was a man who killed without a second thought. He bragged about killing Edmund and Dimitri---never mind that the boasts were bogus---and Terry Kirk (Laura's biological mother). "He took pleasure in it," Trevor said. "He thought he was unstoppable." He was unstoppable until that fateful night in the gallery. Trevor moved on to address Brooke's fear that Jim might have harmed her son. Parents, Trevor said emotionally, do everything in their power to make sure that their children stay safe---eat your vegetables, wear a coat, brush your teeth. They're all things that parents say to their children not because they fear that something bad will happen to their children, but rather because they know that something could happen to the children. Killing someone is a crime, but not if someone believes that they are in "imminent danger." Imminent danger became the buzzword for the rest of Trevor's closing arguments. He had to impress upon the jury that Brooke had to kill or be killed. Why had Brooke shot Jim four times? Trevor first reminded the jury that Brooke had never handled a gun prior to that night. He then added that after the first, second, and third shots Jim continued to approach Brooke. He just wouldn't stop. After the fourth shot, well, that proved to be the final blow. Trevor become overzealous in his attempt to embellish Brooke's testimony. He claimed that she had "saved the world" by taking out Jim. Had she not, Trevor argued that Jim would have went on to destroy more lives. All Brooke wanted to do, Trevor concluded, was protect her young son. Keith's final few words attempted to diminish Trevor's persuasive and emotional arguments. Keith likened Jim to a drunk driver, saying that if Jim had been a drunk driver, one could have taken away his keys to prevent him from being a danger. Surely someone wouldn't shoot him to prevent him from getting behind a wheel. Brooke had taken excessive measures in stopping Jim---and he demanded that she be punished for her actions.
Everyone filed out of the courtroom, but Dixie lagged behind. She wanted to take a closer look at the photographs displayed on the board. Someone had carelessly left the pictures behind---a big mistake in the world of criminal justice. Dixie eyed the pictures closely and when Tad entered the room a few minutes later, she gave him a sharp glance. She remarked that children can change a lot in, say, five months. She went on to say that it was a good thing that the prosecutor hadn't examined the photographs too closely. In the next breath, Dixie accused Tad of being the one who had taken the pictures. Tad shrugged indifferently and explained that the pictures had been found in Jim's safe deposit box. "Yeah," Dixie grinned. "But you put them there." Tad broke into a slight grin and admitted that he had been the one who'd taken the snapshots. Dixie had known that Alfred Vanderpoole's sudden appearance was just a little too convenient. Before Tad could mistakenly assume that Dixie was speaking out against what he'd done, she assured him that he was right to "put a finger on the scale" of justice to tip it in Brooke's favor. Most importantly, she said, Tad had kept his promise to his son.
Jake urged Allie not to get too excited about what had gone done. Palmer, he said, could be very sneaky and he urged her not to get her hopes up just in case Palmer pulled a fast one. Allie remained gleeful and didn't seem at all concerned. Jake then wondered if Allie had something that she was hanging over Palmer. Allie tried to dodge the question by planting a kiss on Jake, but Jake pulled away and demanded that he and Allie keep the lines of communication open. Allie out on some romantic music and strutted towards Jake. She assured him that she had nothing on Palmer. She grinned devilishly and purred, "speaking of having nothing on." She began to unbutton Jake's shirt. One thing led to another and the pair was soon in bed. Before anything romantic could take place, Liza was knocking on the door and asking to speak to Allie. She burst into the room and quickly apologized for interrupting. She offered to leave, but the mood had already been broken. Rather than waste the trip, Liza broke the news that she was pregnancy. Jake was overjoyed and Allie was, well, a little less than thrilled. She managed to put on her best happy face and started gabbing about the baby's possible due date. "Gemini---the twins," she chirped. Jake and Liza shared a hug and Allie watched on uncomfortably.
Marian began to give up hope of getting out of the burial vault. She decided that her only option was to rest so that she could conserve her energy and give on full-blown attempt at pushing the door open. Outside the mausoleum, Jamie, Junior, and Amanda discussed toads and frogs. The topics made Amanda uneasy, but not nearly as uneasy as seeing the mausoleum door open. Amanda was dared to go inside, but ultimately all three children went inside to investigate. Marian, who had been screaming for help, heard noise from the outside and immediately stopped screaming for fear that Lee had returned. When she heard the giddy laughs of children, Marian hoped that they might be able to save her. She called out to the children, but her cries had the opposite effect of what she'd hoped. The kids heard her voice and mistakenly identified her voice as "the ghost." They ran out of the mausoleum screaming. If that wasn't enough, Junior turned around and closed the door behind him. Now even if Marian could get out of the vault, she was still trapped. Outside, the children knew that they had to tell Peggy about what they'd heard. Amanda and Jamie went ahead while Junior lagged behind to find his book bag. Lee returned the crypt calling out for Joy and telling her that he'd never let her get away with running away. Junior returned to the scene and asked Lee who "Joy" was. Lee grinned and said that Joy was one of his pets. Lee claimed that Junior's mother had asked him to find him and take him back to the house. "What's the secret code?" Junior asked. Dixie and Junior had a secret word that was given to anyone who was asked to pick Junior up. That way, there was no possibility of being picked up by a stranger. Lee asked Junior to lean close so that he could whisper the secret word in his ear. As Junior leaned in, Lee grabbed the young boy and put his hand over the boy's mouth. "You're dead meat, you little brat," Lee growled.
Inside the burial vault in the mausoleum, Marian grew weaker and weaker with each passing minute. She sobbed on and off again and worried that she might never get out of the prison that she'd unwittingly made for herself. Outside, Hayley and Mateo quietly returned to Pine Valley with little fanfare. In fact, they made it a point not to tell anyone that they were back home. The pair thought about their romantic getaway from Pine Valley. They had traveled to Mexico and enjoyed some time alone in a secret cove near the beach. Mateo seemed satisfied now that the carnival had passed. He had had no more "visions," which hopefully meant that his wife was out of danger. Hayley wanted to return to the Mexican cove so that she and Mateo could try to conceive a child. The two shared an embraced and decided to return to the main house.
Lee dragged a kicking and thrashing Adam Junior to an abandoned storage facility. The warehouse-like building was littered with empty boxes, pieces of mannequins, old toys, and costumes. Lee opened up what amounted to nothing more than a small cage and tossed Junior inside. Junior kicked the wire mesh door and demanded to be freed. Lee took great pleasure in seeing Adam's son struggle for his freedom. Junior demanded to know who his abductor was and why he'd kidnapped him. Lee introduced himself, but demanded that Junior call him "Mr. Hawkins." Junior asked Lee if he wanted money. "You're a chip off the old block," Lee snarled. The money reference showed---at least in Lee's mind---that Junior was just like his father. Lee grabbed a camera and prepared to take a snapshot of the boy. Junior refused to pose for the picture and, quite boisterously, told Lee to "go to hell." Finally, Lee was able to take a photo of Junior, With a satisfied, albeit maniacal, grin on his face, Lee walked out of the warehouse. Junior poked around some of the boxes that lined his prison. He found something of note in one of the boxes and tucked it in his pants.
At Wildwind, Dixie, Edmund, and Trevor discussed the latest news on Brooke's trial. Jamie and Amanda returned from their brief excursion to the mausoleum. Trevor gave Amanda a big hug. This was the first time that he'd seen his daughter since finding the photographs in Jim's safe deposit box. Amanda talked about the ghost in the mausoleum. As she talked, Dixie noticed that Junior wasn't with his two friends. Jamie explained that Junior had forgotten his backpack and that he should be along in a little while. Trevor was scheduled to take Jamie home and Janet really wanted to see Amanda. With that in mind, Trevor decided to hit the road. Junior still hadn't returned and Dixie was becoming a bit more concerned. Edmund wondered if Junior had gotten sidetracked at the pool or by the pond to stables. Edmund phoned the pool and asked the lifeguard if Junior was still swimming. When that turned up empty, Edmund called security and asked them to scour the grounds for the boy. Mateo and Hayley returned to the house and greeted Dixie with a smile. Hayley looked forward to seeing her little brother again. Dixie was still worried, but knowing that Junior could be doing something innocent---like looking a new baby horse---comforted her. With every minute that passed by, Dixie concentrated more and more about the bad things that could have happened to her son. She told Edmund, Matt, and Hayley that she'd caught some "strange man" trying to take Junior into the mausoleum. Hayley wondered if Lee Hawkins could have gotten past security. Dixie thought a little bit about her conversation with the man and informed her three friends that the man had claimed to be a groundskeeper. After a little more thought, she remembered that the man's name was John. The name, of course, was instantly recognized. There was one oddity: John was supposed to be in Bermuda. And even if he returned to the mainland, he had quit his post at Wildwind. Something just didn't add up.
Back at the Dillon residence, Harold's condition showed little sign of improvement. The fuzzy four-legged member of the Dillon clan still refused to eat. When Amanda returned home, Janet raced over to her and gave her a big hug. "You're squishing me," Amanda giggled. Janet smiled and informed her daughter that she could hug her all night. The young girl smirked and noted that if her mother did hug her all night, then neither one of them would be able to eat dinner. Amanda had no idea why her parents were acting the way they were. When Amanda left the room to check on Harold, Janet and Trevor briefly discussed Brooke's situation. Trevor doubted that the jury would return a verdict before the morning. He figured that they were trying to decide whether or not to find Brooke guilty of first or third-degree murder. Janet gave her husband a cross look and reminded him that the jury could clear Brooke of all charges. Trevor didn't think it was likely and downplayed the job he'd done for Brooke. Janet informed Trevor that she hadn't bought Keith's case and that Trevor had done an excellent job of proving that Jim's murder was actually justifiable homicide. Seeing the photo she believed Jim had taken of Amanda still spooked Amanda. Amanda just happened to be wearing the same dress that she had on in the photo. Janet demanded that they destroy the dress. Trevor understood why his wife wanted to trash the dress, but he also knew that those measures wouldn't change anything. Janet decided that the best way to protect her family was to put a plastic bubble around the house. Her statement was, perhaps, hyperbole, but she honestly believed that she had to go to great lengths to protect Amanda. Amanda returned to the room with Tim by her side. Their smiles indicated that they were up to something, but neither Trevor nor Janet knew what to expect. Amanda had been talking about getting rollerblades and it just so happened that a local store was having a big sale on rollerblades. Janet didn't like the idea. She envisioned her young daughter falling down and breaking every bone in her little body. Tim interjected that he could use a new bike. He had just gotten a new bike, but he wanted one that was a little big bigger and a little bit faster. What he wanted was a motorcycle. Trevor and Janet turned their heads and looked at each other in horror. Trevor told Janet that shed had the go ahead to look into plastic bubbles!
Back at Wildwind, Hayley and Mateo were slowly coming to a horrible realization. Dixie demanded to know how much Hayley knew about John. Hayley explained that John had been Mateo's roommate at the hospital and that they had taken him under his wing because he had no family. Hayley remembered that John had shown up at their apartment the night of Mateo's release. That, she also recalled, was the same night that the apartment blew up. The look on Hayley's face flashed her concern. Mateo added that John had also worked at Holidays during the grand re-opening period. A few days later, the restaurant blew up. Now, John was working---or had been working---at Wildwind. Edmund asked the question that was on everyone's mind, "Could John Lee be Lee Hawkins?" Dixie was furious and worried all at the same time. In her fear, she lashed out at Hayley and Mateo. "You brought a murdered into this house and now he's got my son?" Hayley couldn't come up with a suitable response. All she could say was, "he seemed nice." Mateo tried to bring Dixie back down to Earth. He reminded her that no one had proven that Junior hadn't just wandered off. Edmund picked up the sketch that Stuart had down of Lee. He showed it to Dixie and asked her if the man she'd seen at the mausoleum was the same man in the sketch. The beard made it hard to tell, but Dixie was relatively certain that the man she'd seen was not the man drawn on the piece of paper. With Adam and Stuart out of the country on a search for Marian, Edmund knew that Myrtle was the only one who could identify Lee. The lifeguard appeared in the doorway carrying Junior's knapsack. He stated that he'd found the bag by the mausoleum. Now Dixie was in a total panic.
Upstairs, Ryan and Gillian returned from a trip to the carnival. They were watching the troupe pack it in. Apparently quite a bit had gone down. Gillian had spotted a man holding a gun and tackled him! What she didn't know was that the man was an expert who had been hired to shoot targets with an air gun. Gillian smiled coyly and said that she was only trying to help. She worried that Ryan was going to make fun of her faux pas, but that wasn't the case. Ryan admired Gillian's valor and told her that she had "guts" to act so nobly. "What do my intestines have to do with anything?" Gillian chirped. Ryan grinned, but he didn't tease his wife for her misunderstanding. Ryan noticed that Gillian had a small scrape on her leg and offered to clean the wound up for her. After applying some antiseptic, Ryan asked Gillian if she'd like him to "kiss it and make it better." The kiss graduated from a peck on the leg to a passionate licking of Gillian's bellybutton. The couple was on the verge of something far more romantic, but they were interrupted by a frantic knock on the door. Hayley called out to Gillian and Ryan and asked them for their helping in locating Junior. Ryan looked towards the door and then towards his wife. He did this several times before deciding that he had to help find Hayley's little brother. Everyone searched the grounds, but turned up nothing. They converged on the house and worked on laying out a new strategy. By that time, Edmund had returned with Myrtle. They popped a surveillance tape in the VCR and asked Myrtle to let them know if she spotted Lee in the video. When John's face appeared on screen, she ended the speculation: Lee Hawkins and John Lee were one and the same. Dixie phoned Tad and left a message on his answering machine asking him to drop by Wildwind as soon as he could. She was too overcome to phone Chandler Mansion and notify Adam. Adam still wasn't back from his trip to Buenos Aires, so Hayley left a message for her father saying simply that "something happened in reference to Junior." Edmund commented that Lee had quit his post at Wildwind and that he was supposed to be in Bermuda. Gillian and Ryan took turns explaining that they had seen "John" earlier in the day by the mausoleum. Since that was where Junior's book bag had been found, everyone scurried of to the mausoleum.
Marian feared that she'd never see Stuart again. She promised herself that she would get out of her predicament in one piece. "I'll make love to you again, I swear," Marian said in a voice barely above a whisper. Things began more grave and Marian started to hear voices. Stuart's voice echoed in her mind, offering her words of encouragement. He urged her to remain strong and promised her that she'd get out of the mausoleum alive. She gave out a one final shout in an attempt to draw someone's attention, but no one could hear her. She closed her eyes and slumped to the ground. Only seconds later, the gang arrived at the mausoleum's door. They entered and were awestruck by the shrine that had been setup inside the crypt. "What on Earth is that?" Hayley gasped.
Adam returned from his trip to South America and immediately headed to his office. He found a simple white envelope on his desk. In the upper-left corner, Lee Hawkins had scrawled his name. In the center of the envelope, he had written "Adam Chandler. Urgent + Personal." Adam opened the letter and his face dropped. Inside was a photo of Junior locked in his cage-like cell. "You took my Joy from me," said an attached note, "and then you killed my Camille." Lee went on to say that he had considered taming "a daughter for a daughter" but that Junior had happened to come along at an unexpected time. He assured Adam that he would not kill Junior---at least immediately. He stated that he wanted to keep the boy alive long enough so that Adam could worry about his son's welfare. Then when Junior has "served his purpose, he'll end up dead too."
There has been a serious and sudden illness in my family and I have been unable to compose myself long enough to sit down and put a recap together. I am trying to find someone to fill in for me today---or I will put together something simple early tomorrow morning. I have been up since Tuesday morning and am just about ready to fall asleep in my chair. I apologize for this inconvenience to you, but I assure you that I this situation is extremely serious or I would have had a recap posted by now.
Dan
Stuart's emotional and dramatic breakdown in the crypt tugged at the heartstrings. Unaware that he and Marian were separated by less than ten feet---and several inches of concrete---he pledged to his love that he would find her. On the other side of the wall, a weakened Marian called out to Stuart, but her voice was barely audible. She finally decided that her mind was playing tricks on her and closed her eyes.
Liza made the decision to preempt WRCW's line-up so that Adam could go live with a message for Lee Hawkins. Before appearing before the cameras, Adam worried that he wouldn't be able to pull off his plan. Adam took a deep breath and readied for his unscripted plea. Adam apologized to the general public for interrupting their programs, saying that he only wanted to reach an audience of one. In the abandoned storage facility, Lee watched his television with great intensity. In the background, Junior cheered his father's actions. Adam told Lee that he was sorry that Camille was gone and that he was certain that Lee would miss her greatly. He went on to say that he and Lee share something in common: they'll both go to any lengths to protect their children. Adam said that he now knows that many years ago Lee was also trying to protect Joy. Adam announced that he was ready to "pay for everything" he'd ever done to wrong Lee and his family. "I misjudged you," Adam continued. The first came when Adam refused to listen to Lee's side of the story. That was wrong, he said. "If you have a bone to pick with me," Adam said as the camera zoomed in close, "let's go [at it.]" Hoping to convince Lee that holding Junior and Marian hostage was pointless, Adam remarked that only a coward would take his anger out on a woman and child. "There's no stripe down your back," commented Adam, referencing the yellow stripe supposedly running down a coward's back. He then told Lee that he wanted to meet with him at the place where Camille had spent her final days. "I'll be waiting---alone," Adam said calmly. "My dad's gonna kill you!" Junior chirped gleefully. Lee raced over to the cage where he's imprisoned the young boy and flashed a gritty smile. "Not if I kill him first," he said sinisterly. He flashed his butcher knife and grinned evilly. Lee said that after he was finished polishing off Adam, he would return to the warehouse and finish off Adam Junior.
Palmer shut the door to his secret room before Opal could run away from him. He blasted Opal for "sticking [her] nose in where it doesn't belong." He also snapped that Opal has wasted no time in turning on him. "You miserable, low-down, lying piece of trash," Opal growled. She gave her husband a thorough tongue-lashing for not believing in her. She told Palmer that she had defended him to Mike Roy---and everyone else for that matter. She told Palmer that she was so sure of his innocence that she actually encouraged Mike to search the secret room. Words are unable to express the disappointment and hurt that Opal felt when she realized that Palmer had been lying to her. The frames, Opal said, were Palmer's Waterloo. "You wanna know what it feels like to be betrayed? Just you wait---you're gonna find out!" Palmer tried to sweet talk Opal, but it didn't do him any good. He told Opal that since there was no proof that he had stolen the paintings, he and Opal could carry on like normal. It wasn't that easy and he was forgetting one key detail. Opal felt as though her marriage had been based on a lie. Everything from the first day on was no under scrutiny. How could Opal be certain that Palmer wasn't hiding any other secrets? And is he telling the truth when he tells her that he loves her? Palmer insisted that he was being completely honest when he tells Opal that he loves her. Opal argued that Palmer was still lying because he usually treats her like "a tarted up gargoyle." She reminded Palmer that he usually tells her that she looks like a fool. In a scathing remark, Opal wondered, "Maybe if I hung a frame around my neck you'd look at me differently." Palmer assured Opal that he loves her just the way she is. Palmer placed their future together in Opal's hands. He wanted to know what she was going to do and how she was going to handle their relationship. "I don't know," Opal said honestly. "But I guarantee you you're not gonna like it!" Opal stormed passed her husband and out of the secret room. A few seconds later, Mary, one of the housekeepers, poked her head in the door. She looked around in marvel at the secret room before announcing why she was in the wine cellar. She told Palmer that Adam had just appeared on television to announce that Junior, Palmer's grand-nephew, had been kidnapped.
In Tempo's photo lab, Tad worked as quickly as possible to enlarge the photo that Lee had taken of Junior. Dixie made Tad promise that they were not "spinning [their] wheels" on a wild goose chase. Tad was working as fast as he could, but developing pictures isn't something that she be speeded up. The enlarged photo, when finally developed, nearly sent Dixie over the edge. She examined every inch of her son's face. She kicked herself for breaking her promise to her son. The first promise was to always protect him and the second, which seemed trivial to Tad, was that she had not sewn up a tear in Junior's shirt as she's promised. Tad looked at the photo and did notice Junior's torn shirt, but he failed to see the significance. He urged Dixie to concentrate on the photograph. Something in the background looked familiar, but the picture was still too fuzzy to tell exactly what lied behind Junior's cell. Tad blew up the original photo again, this time focusing on just the background images. This time, they hit pay dirt. The object behind Junior was one of the "test your strength" games featured at carnivals. Tad now realized that Mateo's visions had been true all along. Tad decided that he'd travel to the fairgrounds and find out if anyone knew of any carnival warehouses in the area. Dixie wanted to stay put. She said that she'd stick around just in case someone found Junior. Tad was uncomfortable with leaving Dixie behind, but didn't want to go against Dixie's wishes either. Dixie thanked Tad for all his help. "Honey, you know I'd do anything for y---Junior," Tad said awkwardly. After Tad left, Dixie stared longingly at the photo of her son and sang, "You Are My Sunshine."
In an surprisingly bold and insensitive move, Gillian agreed that Hayley was directly responsible for Junior's disappearance. Ryan demanded that Gillian be quiet, but Ryan's objections only fueled Gillian's fire all the more. She accused Ryan of being hopelessly in love with Hayley and hoping that she would need to seek comfort in his arms. Hayley, who had been stunned by Gillian's remark, finally broke her silence. She agreed that everything was her fault. Had she been where she was supposed to be---the carnival---her little brother never would have been abducted. At least that was Hayley's take on the situation. Hayley ran off and Gillian waited for Ryan to chase after her. He stayed put, but he didn't keep his feelings hidden. He told Gillian that he had once thought she was the "most beautiful woman" in the world. Now, however, he realized that she was still the same "self-centered brat" that he had been suckered into marrying. Gillian said that she was glad that Hayley had interrupted them before she'd made the mistake of making love to Ryan again. Gillian stormed out of the room.
Hayley bumped into her Uncle Stuart in the foyer. She hugged him and told him that she was sorry that Lee had gotten to Marian. Hayley had no idea how to help Marian or Junior. "I'm all out of prayers," she sobbed. Stuart's face was determined. He looked Hayley in the eyes and looked like he was trying to will some of his strength to his niece. He told Hayley that he would "take care of this one." When Hayley returned to the parlor, Ryan apologized for Gillian's crude remarks. Hayley seemed to have calmed down greatly and now claimed that she'd forgotten everything that Gillian said. She explained that Gillian had only said those mean things because she was in jealous of her relationship with Ryan. Ryan was certain that Gillian was only trying to hog the spotlight. He said that he wouldn't be surprised if Gillian was in her room trying to come up with a strategy to put herself in the foreground.
Back at WRCW, Adam wondered if his message had gotten through to Lee. Liza asked Adam if he believed that they'd find Marian and Junior alive. Adam swore on his life that they would be found alive. Liza went to take Adam's hand, but she accidentally brushed up against his ribs. She felt something out of place and pulled Adam's suit jacket open. She was right---Adam had squirreled away a handgun in his pocket. Liza ordered him not to take a gun with him, but headstrong Adam insisted that he had to be armed for an encounter with maniacal Lee Hawkins. Derek stormed into the station and read Adam the riot act for taking matters into his own hands. Adam wondered how Derek had seen his television appearance, saying that he police department should be fighting crime not watching television. Derek tried to appeal to Adam to forgo his meeting with Lee, but Adam wasn't listening. When Stuart arrived, both Derek and Liza hoped that Stuart could talk some sense into his stubborn brother. "I'm going with you," Stuart announced. Derek closed his eyes and shook his head. Derek noted that Lee was a dangerous man and that Stuart and Adam could both be killed if Lee got his hands on them. Palmed strolled in and told Adam that he deserves to be killed for putting Adam Junior in harm's way. Adam and Palmer exchanged barbs for several minutes. "I applaud whatever brings [your] demise," Palmer said to Adam. "I live for the day they inscribed your tombstone," Adam responded. Stuart yelled at both men and demanded that they stop being so mean to each other. Palmer soon tired of the bickering and left. Derek asked to talk to Adam and Stuart in Liza's office. After he walked away, Adam told Liza that he did not plan on meeting with Derek. Liza grew more and more concerned and told Adam that she was scared that something might happen to him. She was so overcome that she fainted into Adam's arms. David happened to be standing by and raced over to Liza. He assured Adam that Liza's fainting was perfectly normal "for a woman in her condition." Adam flashed a confused expression and asked David what he was talking about. "You don't know?" David asked. "Your ex-wife is going to have a baby."
Gillian wasn't in her room like Ryan believed. She'd decided to take a late night walk to clear her mind. She was drawn back to the mausoleum. As she walked past, Lee emerged from the crypt. Gillian tried to run, but Lee caught up to her. He demanded to know where Camille had been taken. It was rather spooky the way Lee referred to his deceased daughter---almost as if he still believed that she was alive. Gillian showed little backbone. She blabbed that the police and taken Camille. She then begged Lee not to harm her, saying that he really wanted Hayley. Lee reminded Gillian that Hayley and Mateo had left town. Gillian blurted out that Hayley was back home and up at the main house. Lee asked her to take him to the house. Freed from Lee's grip, Gillian kneed Lee in the groin and dashed off. When she arrived at the house, she had every intention of warning Hayley about Lee. When she got there, however, she caught Ryan and Hayley in an embrace. The hug was perfectly innocent, but Gillian didn't see it that way. She told Ryan that she was going to tell them something important, but she'd decided that what she had to say really didn't matter. She did, though, say that Hayley had better sleep with her door locked. Ryan agreed that it might be best for Hayley to get some rest.
Hayley entered her bedroom and closed and locked the door behind her. She flipped on the light and turned around. She found Lee sitting on her bed and staring coldly at her. She smiled broadly and walked towards Lee. "John!" Hayley cried out. "Or should I say Lee? It's so good to see you!" Hayley leaned over and gave Lee a big hug.
The news that Liza was pregnant couldn't have come at a better---or worse---time. Had he not been preoccupied with Junior's abduction, Adam might have reacted differently. But his mind clouded with fear, Adam could do little more than smile. Of course, he also couldn't act too peculiarly or Liza might have figured that something was up. David watched on as Adam congratulated his ex-wife on her pregnancy. "Have you seen a doctor?" Adam asked Liza. "Um, Hello?!" David quacked. The cardiologist then asked Adam why he was so concerned about Liza's pregnancy. Liza blasted David for being insensitive and asked him to leave. David didn't go anywhere. Adam took a step towards David and offered his explanation. He said that he and Liza knew what it was like to lose a child, adding that David could not relate to their pain because he had never had a child. David sort of felt like a heel for not thinking about Liza's miscarriage. "Surgeons aren't known form their people skills," Adam groused. "That's why patients demand anesthesia." David made a face and walked away. Derek stormed onto the stage and tore into Adam for using his power to nix a police presence at the cabin. Derek had planned on having the police surround the meeting spot so that they could nab Lee and prevent any more of Lee's menacing behavior. Apparently, Adam had phoned the police commissioner and convinced him to block any police units from getting anywhere near the cabin. Stuart again insisted that he be allowed to tag along with his brother. Adam, however, was still opposed to the idea. Adam told Stuart that he was "too important" to risk getting caught in the crossfire. Stuart cocked his head to the side and asked his brother what he meant by "too important." Stuart commented that Adam had suits that were more important than him. Adam disagreed. He said that Stuart is the one who holds the family together. When there is trouble, everyone turns to Stuart---not Adam. Stuart nodded his head slightly and noted that Adam isn't exactly the easiest person to deal with---especially in crisis situations. "If someone has to hold this family together," Adam said, it's going to be Stuart.
Tad phoned Wildwind to brief Ryan and Dixie on their latest findings. He, Edmund, and Mateo had converged on the Center City site of the carnival, but they'd apparently not turned up anything of note. Ryan tried his best to comfort Dixie, but it was a little difficult because he didn't really know Dixie all that well. He assured her that Junior was okay and urged her to be strong. When asked if she prays, Dixie nodded her head and said that Junior often talks to "The Big Guy." Unaware that Gillian was listening from a nearby corridor, Ryan and Dixie sat down on the sofa and continued their conversation. Ryan told Dixie that when he was Junior's age, he ran away from home. Unfortunately, his parents were both so drunk that neither one of them had noticed that he was missing. Dixie kicked herself for giving Junior two-sided advice about strangers. She had always told her son not to talk to strangers, but in rural Pigeon Hollow everyone was so nice that it was hard not to be friendly to strangers. Stuart arrived at Wildwind still on his search to find Marian. He took time out to help assuage Dixie's fears. He said that Adam Junior is just like Adam---all the good stuff, that is. He's "strong, smart, and fearless," Stuart said of his nephew. Dixie found comfort in Stuart's words, but she still felt as though she needed to blame someone for what had happened to her son. She's already attacked Adam, now it was her turn under the gun. She was ticked off for not telling Junior to steer clear of the mausoleum. As Dixie went on and on about the supposed ghost that lived in the Marick crypt, Stuart's eyes lit up. After Stuart left and Dixie headed off to get something from the kitchen, Gillian emerged from her hiding place. She told Ryan of her run-in with Lee by the mausoleum. She was met with immediate criticism for not mentioning this sooner. Gillian apologized, saying that she had tried to tell Ryan and Hayley. That did little good. Ryan got on the phone and told security to be on the lookout for Lee Hawkins.
At the cabin by Willow Lake, Adam waited for Lee to show up. When a noise sounded from outside, Adam readied his gun and moved slowly towards the door. He swung the door open and came face to face with... Allie. She had followed Adam from the studio with the hope that she and he could discuss the "swap" at the fertility clinic. Adam was furious with Allie for following him. He did not bow to Allie's threat that she would tell Liza what had happened. Adam growled as he told Allie that he would tell Liza when the time was right---"and not a second sooner." Allie was concerned that their plan would backfire now that Jake knew that Liza was pregnant. She feared that the former couple could, conceivably (sorry about the pun), fall back in love. Adam was certain that that would not happen. He ordered her to leave and told her that if she runs in Lee Hawkins on her way back to her car, Jake would be the least of her concerns. Allie dashed out the door and Adam went back to playing the waiting game. "Where are you Lee Hawkins?" Adam growled.
Trevor and Janet sat in their livingroom wondering what type of verdict the jury would deliver. Brooke was thinking the same thing and her worries prompted her to pay the Dillons a late night visit. "What are the chance's they'll acquit," Brooke asked her attorney. The magazine editor was showing definite signs of doubt. She assured Trevor that she was not feeling uneasy about the job he'd done, but she was a little worried about putting her fate in the hands of twelve strangers. Janet tried to ease Brooke's jitters by telling her that she knew they had "won" several of the jurors. Brooke smiled warmly and thanked Janet for being a good friend. Janet left the room to get Brooke some coffee while Brooke and Trevor sat down to talk business. Brooke remembered that Keith had once given her the chance to accept a lesser charge that carried five to fifteen years in prison. Brooke wondered if the offer was still on the table. Fifteen years was a lot better than spending the rest of her life behind bars. Trevor nodded his head and said that Keith had made an offer. If was possible that the might still agree to the deal, but there was no assurance that Brooke would be given the minimum sentence of five years. Trevor explained that copping a plea isn't as easy as it sounds. In order to get the possibly reduced sentence, Brooke would have to appear before the court and not only confess to killing Jim but to say that she knows that she was wrong to do so. Trevor wondered if it would be possible for Brooke to swear before God that Jim did not deserve to be killed. Amanda scurried down from her bedroom, unable to sleep. She told her mother that something had been weighing heavily on her mind. While playing a game with her best friend, a best friend who always, always wins, Amanda secretively moved some of the playing pieces around so that she would beat her friend. Now, Amanda said, she felt "really icky." Janet urged her daughter to do the right thing and to admit that she'd done wrong. "In order to feel good," Janet said, "you have to tell the truth." Brooke listened intently to the mother-daughter conversation and began nodding her head ever so slightly. Amanda placed a call to her friend and admitted that she'd cheated. The friend told Amanda not to worry about it and all was right in their friendship. Brooke announced that after listening to Amanda, she realized that she could not cop a plea before it would mean lying to herself, her friends, and to God. A knock on the door sounded several times and Janet peeked out to the window to see who had dropped by at such a late hour. Stuart smiled slightly and apologized for interrupting. He bid everyone a hello, but he was there to see only one person: Amanda. He asked the young girl to tell him about the ghost at Wildwind. Amanda told her tale of being dared to enter the mausoleum and then hearing a female ghost calling out from behind on of the walls. Stuart's eyes lit up. "Of course," he gasped. He leaned over, kissed Amanda's forehead, and then dashed out of the house.
Still in the studio at WRCW, Liza once again ran into David. He gave her a little gift, a set of "sea bands," little wristband-like straps that are supposed to help ease nausea. All that David asked for was an apology for the way that he'd been yelled at earlier. "Don't push your luck or I'll puke all over your shoes, you occasionally decent human being," Liza sassed. David smiled and handed over the wristbands. Liza still felt a bit ill and asked David for her purse. David turned around and picked up a handbag from a nearby chair. The purse wasn't Liza's, it was Marian's. Seeing the purse sent Liza over the edge and she began sobbing uncontrollably. Jake appeared a few minutes later and helped console Liza. David opted to leave rather than hang around. Allie also showed up and walked over to Liza. She told Liza that there was something that they needed to talk about.
"What are you doing, girl?" Lee snapped as Hayley embraced him. Hayley, who flubbed back and forth between calling the man John and Lee, said that she wished she knew that she and Lee were on "the same side." The same side, according to Hayley, meant that they both despised Adam. Lee scratched his head and stated that Hayley couldn't possibly hate Adam because he was her father. "Some father," Hayley laughed. She told Lee that she had been raised by her mother and that she didn't even know that Adam was her father until she was in her late teens. She said that her hatred of her father was spurred by many of his dirty tricks. The final straw, apparently, was the way that Adam tried to keep her and Mateo apart. Hayley was very convincing and Lee, on several occasions, appeared ready to buy into her tale. "Why do you put up with him?" Lee asked. Hayley had a one word answer: Money. Lee replied that he could care less about money. What he wanted, he said, was to make Adam suffer. If Lee wanted Adam to suffer, Hayley responded, taking Adam Junior was the wrong way to go. She explained that Adam hated the "brat." If Adam really cared about his son, he never would have allowed him to go to Pigeon Hollow. Lee still wasn't sure that he could believe Hayley. Hayley was determined to prove herself. She asked Lee to tell her what he had planned so that she could help him plan an attack on her father. She noted that if she was really afraid of Lee, she would have screamed. Lee knew that leaving wouldn't be easy---they'd surely be spotted by security. Hayley covertly picked up her key chain. Lee noticed that Hayley had taken something in her hand and demanded to know what she was hiding. She flashed the keys to Lee and laughed. In order to get away, they would need a car. What Hayley hadn't shown Lee was what was on the other end of the key chain---a small Swiss Army knife. Lee told Hayley that he had his own car and that they would be taking his car, not hers. Hayley tucked the keys into her pants and said that she was ready to go. Before leaving, Hayley walked across the room and picked up the carousel music box that Lee had given her. She said that she loved the music box and placed it on her bed. This was obvious her way of giving anyone who would come to her room later a clue about where she'd went.
Ryan dashed up the stairs to Hayley's bedroom. The door was locked from the inside and he had to break it down in order to get inside. No one was there. But Ryan did notice the music box that Hayley had placed on her pillows.
Another of Lee's victims was barely hanging on. Marian called out to Stuart one last time before closing her eyes and taking one final breath.
Lee led a blindfolded Hayley to the warehouse. When safely inside, Lee removed the blindfold. Hayley raced over to the cage and greeted Junior. Lee unlocked the cage door and allowed Junior to step outside. Referring to Lee as "Uncle Lee," Hayley whispered to Junior that he should play along with what she was saying. Hayley told Junior that "Uncle Lee" had agreed to let him go and that she would be staying with hi instead. Lee grabbed Junior and tossed him back into the cage. He then grabbed Hayley, who had been frozen in shock, and threw her into the cage too. Hayley repeated blathered that she and Lee were supposed to have had a deal. Lee snapped that he didn't believe Hayley's lies. Furthermore, Lee said that he had lied all along just so that he could get both of Adam Chandler's children together.
