Mike's interruption was not only unexpected, but it was also unwelcome. Erica snapped that she wasn't hungry and asked Mike to leave. Needless to say, Mike wasn't about to leave. While he may have appeared unfazed on the outside---he continued to nibble away on his Chinese food---Mike had to have been at least a bit upset to see Erica and Jack on their way upstairs. Jack reminded Mike that he was supposed to be keeping tabs on Palmer. Erica picked up on Jack's choice of words and soon realized that her two beaus had been on a stakeout outside of her house. Mike explained that he'd phoned another agent and had him tale Palmer. Erica demanded what was so important about a bunch of old paintings. Neither Jack nor Mike could understand how Erica could refer to the priceless paintings in such an unflattering manner. Though he probably shouldn't have had to, Mike explained to Erica why it was so important that they find the paintings. The paintings had been missing for over fifty years. Mike wanted the paintings to be returned to their rightful owners or at least the owner's family. Erica rebuked the claim that Palmer was the one who'd stolen the artwork. Mike cryptically noted that they had proof that seemed to tie Palmer to the crime. The proof, Jack said, was at a laboratory being analyzed. Erica was desperate to clear Palmer's name. She suggested that the statute of limitations had long run out and that Palmer could not be prosecuted even if he did steal the paintings. That was not the case. The type of crime, Mike said without much explanation, carried no time limit in which the case had to be tried. Mike remembered the reason he'd barged in in the first place. He told Jack that one of his contacts had phoned to say that someone else knew that Palmer was suspected in the art-napping. If that was true, Jack realized that he and Mike were not the only ones looking for the paintings. The two men dashed out the door. Erica was left alone, but not for long. She received a phone call from Bianca asking if she could visit for a few days. Erica told her daughter that she'd be on the next plane. "If you can't play fair with me," Erica said after she hung up the phone, "you can just play with each other."
When Palmer returned to Cortlandt Manor, he found a big surprise. A bucket of quick drying cement and a pile bricks by her side, Opal was trying to seal up the secret room. Palmer blocked her way and order his wife to stop her foolish attempt to make a new wall. Opal was no longer furious with her husband for wanting his space---that did not mean that she was any less upset about the way in which he broke the news about his secret room's secret purpose. She told Palmer that he should have told her that he needed more time. She added that she would have gladly gone shopping or volunteered more hours or even taken up tap dancing. Palmer was strapped for a response. He couldn't say anything more than telling Opal that she didn't understand. Opal was ticked off and dashed up the steps to the main level of the mansion. Palmer threw up his hands and chased after his wife. Once upstairs, Palmer had a surprising announcement for his wife. He told her that while she might not believe it, he really does love her. The reason for his awkward behavior, Palmer said, was a ghost from his past. "Who is she," Opal barked jealously. Palmer assured Opal that the ghost was not a woman---in fact, it wasn't even a person. Palmer couldn't, however, tell his wife exactly what was haunting him. He begged his wife to be understanding and to allow him some time to find the words to tell her what was going on. Reluctantly, Opal agreed to give her husband the time he needed. In return, however, she asked Palmer for a favor in return. It wasn't a surprise when Opal asked Palmer to get rid of the secret room. Palmer still wasn't ready to give up the secret room. Opal was outraged. How could the man that supposedly loves her choose an empty room over her? Opal reminded Palmer that she had always been there for him and that she'd even helped him turn things around when he was down and out. No matter what the situation, she was always there for him. Then the wheels started twirling and Opal realized why her husband was having such a hard time giving up the room: he really did have the paintings squirreled away in the secret room. Palmer was quiet... too quiet. Opal asked Palmer to look her in the eyes and tell her the truth. "No Opal," he said calmly. "I am not hiding those photos." He explained that he had no desire to become embroiled in an "international incident." Opal apologized for doubting her husband and asked him to forgive her. It was an awkward turn of events; just a few minutes prior Opal was the one who was demanding an apology from Palmer. Palmer took his wife in his arms and told her that she had every right to doubt him. He then pledged to board up the room and move their marriage "in a new direction."
Robert Thomasen bore an uncanny resemblance to his late brother. The two men were not twins, as Robert later testified on the stand---Jim was a few years younger. The courtroom's nervous chatter came to an abrupt end as the all fixated on the man that slowly made his way to the front of the room. Robert used a pair of crutches to get to the front of the room. He walked very slowly, obviously suffering from some type of injury to his legs. Trevor objected to the witness, repeating his concerns that he had not been able to interview the witness or do research on him. Judge Foster shot down Trevor's objection, reminding the attorney that he had previously promised to break immediately after the prosecution questioned the witness. That break would allow Trevor to do all the research that he wanted. Robert's first statement on the stand was more of a request. He asked Keith not to call him Mr. Thomasen. Instead, he wanted to be called Bob. Bob's testimony painted Jim as a devoted brother and an all-around nice guy. Jim had apparently been taking care of his older brother ever since "the accident." Bob explained that when he and Jim were younger, the had been playing a game of ball. Bob raced out into the street without looking and was struck by a car. Jim had forgone going to college until after he'd made sure that his older brother was going to be taken care of. The heart-wrenching tale continued. Once Jim had secured a position at Tempo, he had arranged for his parents, now deceased, and older brother to move into new houses. Bob, who has been living in Mexico for the past few years, explained that the reason he was unable to be contacted about testifying at the trial was because no one knew where to find him. Keith asked Bob a few questions about what type of man Jim was. Bob gave a glowing review of his brother, saying that there was no possible way that he could have ever anyone. Trevor leapt to his feet and pointed out that facts proved that Jim had, in fact, been engaged in illegal activities. Keith was quick to note that Jim had never been charged with any of the allegations made against him. He added that the only ones who had ever claimed that Jim had done anything was wrong was the defendant, Brooke, and other defense witnesses. The judge sided with Keith and ordered the questioning to continue. If things were looking bad for Brooke, they were about to get worse----much worse. Bob pulled a letter out of his pocket. The letter had been written by Jim way back in February. Dear Bob, how's it going pal? Even though it's still a week away, Valentine's Day has come early this year. In the letter, Jim went on to say that he was the happiest man on the planet because Brooke had agreed to marry him. He claimed that he worshipped the ground Brooke walked on. My life is a miracle the letter continued. Jim told his brother that he had lucked out by finding such an intelligent an beautiful woman---and that Brooke's family (Phoebe, Laura, and Jamie) was wonderful as well. I pray that I make her as happy as she makes me. "A real monster," Keith quipped. Trevor objected and this time the judge agreed that Keith was out of line. Judge Foster kept his word and announced that court would recess until the next day so that Trevor could figure out how he would question the witness. Edmund, Tad, Dixie, Janet, and Dimitri all crowded around Brooke and tried to put their own positive spins on what had gone down. Brooke thanked them for their concern, but said that she wanted some time alone to absorb what she'd just endured. Edmund told Trevor that he was going to head to Tempo and do a background check on Bob Thomasen. Hopefully, he'd be able to find something---anything---that would damage Bob's credibility. Dixie looked to Tad for some encouraging words, but Tad couldn't find the silver lining in this dark cloud. He told Dixie that he had something else to do and then scurried off. Dixie watched him curiously and couldn't help but wonder if Tad was up to something. Trevor began feeling the pressure and wondered if he'd be able to do anything to help Brooke. Janet was there to offer Trevor some words of encouragement. Brooke stepped into a witness room and tried to compose herself. Edmund entered and told her that he would always be there for and that he would not let anyone hurt her. Brooke gave Edmund a hug and thanked him for being there for her. Edmund left the room, but when the door opened a few seconds later, Brooke assumed that Edmund had returned. He hadn't. Brooke looked up and a look of horror crept over her face. Bob slowly limped into the room, demanding to know why Brooke had killed his brother. Brooke quivered and was unable to offer a response. She rose from her seat and slowly walked backwards. Seeing the man who could have passed at Jim's twin sent Brooke into a panic. Brooke insisted that Jim was an evil man and that he had hurt numerous people. Bob refused to believe it. He hollered that Brooke was a liar. He then lifted one of his braces into the air and slammed it against the wall. Brooke was now trapped between one of his braces and the wall. He slowly leaned towards Brooke and told her that he wanted to "see what a murderer looks like." He then gently caressed Brooke's cheek. Brooke sobbed uncontrollably, but could not move. Dimitri burst into the room and tossed Bob to the ground. He jumped on top of the disabled man's body and threatened to do him bodily harm. Bob egged Dimitri on and asked him if he was going to kill him too. Bob struggled to get to his feet and then made his way towards the door. "My brother only lied about one thing," Bob sneered. "You're not nearly as beautiful as he said you are." Dimitri slammed the door shut and raced over to Brooke. He took her in his arms as she broke down in a fit of hysterics.
Marian showed no signs of alertness. Lee sat beside the woman he believed to be his wife and watched her closely. He told Marian that "today's the day" to enact his plan to take care of Hayley. Outside, Eugenia> tried to open the locked crypt door so that she could leave flowers to commemorate Hugo's birthday. Gillian happened upon her grandmother and asked her why she would want to leave flowers for a man who was "an ogre." Eugenia laughed at Gillian's comment and agreed that while Hugo may have been an ogre, "he is our ogre." Gillian urged her grandmother to stop poking around the mausoleum, saying that that it was filled with spooky dead people. Eugenia agreed that leaving the crypt behind wasn't such a bad idea. "Let's wig out," Eugenia said with a big smile. Ordinarily, Gillian would have loved to go on a joyride or shopping spree with her grandmother, but this time Gillian had other pressing matters. She told Eugenia of her plan to dress up like Hayley so that she could catch the person who'd nearly killed her. Eugenia was, as you may have guessed, opposed to the idea. Citing the extreme danger involved in the undercover sting, Eugenia urged her granddaughter to let the police handle the matter. Headstrong Gillian had already made up her mind and disregarded everything that her grandmother had said. She dashed off to get ready for her mission leaving her grandmother a nervous wreck. Inside the crypt, Marian showed the first signs of life. She opened her eyes and looked around nervously. When she heard Lee lurking in the shadows, she quickly closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep. Lee said goodbye to Camille (the urn) and made his way towards the door. As he walked away, he caught the tail end of another of Marian's quickie eye opening. He urged her to stay asleep so that she could get her rest.
At WRCW, Liza placed another call to her mother's house. It had been days since she'd last heard from her mother and with each passing day she'd become more and more nervous. Ryan entered the room and asked his boss if everything was okay with her mother. Liza tried her best to dodge the question so that she wouldn't show her vulnerability. Liza later admitted that she did miss her mother, but said that she was also angry that her mother hadn't let her know that she was going someone. Liza mused that if Marian walked through the door she wouldn't know whether to hug her or kill her! Ryan remarked that it must be nice to actually miss one's parents. In another partial statement about his disdain for his parents, Ryan remarked that whenever his parents went missing---even if it was only for a few hours---he was usually overjoyed. On his way back to his office, Ryan was greeted by Eugenia. Eugenia was still worried about Gillian's plan and begged Ryan to do whatever he could to change Gillian's mind.
Back inside the office, Liza had just about gotten back to work when Stuart poked his head in the office. He'd just returned from his whirlwind trip to Bermuda, a trip that failed to turn up Marian. Adam entered the office a few minutes later claiming to be looking for his brother. When Adam learned how Stuart had come up empty on his search, Adam asked Stuart if he'd considered the possibility that Marian had registered under a different name. Stuart explained that he'd scoured the entire island in search of Marian. He said that he'd showed Marian's picture to everyone on the island and that no one had seen any sign of Marian. Adam had hoped that Liza would at least help him convince Stuart not to get his hopes up, but that would not be the case. Liza was in full agreement with Stuart---something was definitely not right. Through gritted teeth, Adam told Liza that she wasn't helping matters any. Liza explained that if Marian had really gone on a vacation, she would certainly have checked in at least once. Adam suggested that Marian was busy doing other things and didn't have time to call. Liza rolled her eyes. She said that because of her situation, Marian would most definitely have called in. Adam thought that Liza was talking business. She made a motion with her head and said that Marian would have called "to see if the rabbit died." Stuart wrinkled his brow and asked Liza if she had a pet rabbit. He had also heard Marian make a reference to a dead rabbit. Apparently, dead rabbits somehow figured into an old practice of learning if a woman is pregnant---I'm just as clueless as Stuart on this one. Liza explained that no rabbits were sick; she might, however, be pregnant. Stuart was overcome with glee as he celebrated Liza's possible pregnancy. He thought about what a pregnancy usually involved and wondered if Liza and Adam were back together. When Liza explained that she had undergone artificial insemination, Stuart was a bit unsure what he was supposed to say to Liza. "It's not as much fun as the other way," he chirped nervously. He then congratulated Liza and wished her the best. Adam waited for the big question to be asked. When Stuart failed to ask Liza if the procedure had been a success, Adam interrupted the conversation and asked it himself. Liza said that it was still too soon to tell, but Adam didn't believe her. He figured that she knew something and was hiding it from him. Stuart and Liza scolded Adam for being nosy and told him that he should show as much concern for Marian's disappearance as he was to Liza's possible pregnancy. Adam bowed to the pressure and said that he would call a private investigator to track down Marian. While Adam dialed the numbers, Stuart suggested that his brother also have someone try to locate Lee Hawkins. Adam brushed his brother off and reminded him that Lee was dead. "Oh no he isn't," Stuart said in a comical voice. Adam hung up the phone and listened as Stuart gave him a rundown on how he'd determined that Lee was not really dead. Adam kicked himself for believing the one lie that Camille had told him---that Lee was dead. Adam also was ticked that he had not been going after the person who was really behind all the "accidents." Adam got on the phone and called Barry, his attorney. He ordered Barry to have his contacts fan out and locate Marian and Lee. He noted that if anyone found Marian, she should be treated with the "utmost respect." Stuart smiled and thanked his brother for being so good to him. Stuart hugged his brother to show his thanks. Across the room, Liza's eyes welled with tears.
Belinda and Adrian returned from their trip to California. The trip had been a success---or a failure depending upon your point of view. Belinda had hoped to see her mother, Rose, before she underwent heart surgery. Adrian had pulled many strings just to arrange the meeting, but Belinda arrived only minutes after her mother was wheeled into surgery. Everything went well and Rose made it out of surgery. The attending surgeon, the two agreed, needed to brush up on his bedside manners. Belinda hated not being able to se her mother whenever she wanted. Even if her mother, brother, and sister-in-law were able to get out of the witness protection program in six months, it might still be too late for her to be with her mother. The details of Rose's illness were never fully addressed; all that could be determined was that Rose did not appear to be in condition at all. Belinda was overcome with emotion and sought comfort in Adrian's arms. After a few minutes, she pulled away and apologized for her breakdown. Adrian assured Belinda that it was okay, but Belinda didn't like to show emotion. Adrian knew that she must have been "the anchor" of her family, the one who kept things together. Belinda thanked Adrian for all he'd done for her. She apologized for jumping to the wrong conclusions about him. She leaned over and gently kissed Adrian on the cheek. A few seconds later, Belinda realized what she'd done and was again scrambling to back-pedal. She jumped off of the sofa and raced over to her briefcase. She shuffled papers around and told Adrian that she needed to review her notes so that she could rejoin Brooke's defense team. She asked Adrian if he really believe that Palmer had stolen the priceless paintings. Adrian said that he could not comment because the case was not closed.
At Cortlandt Manor, Opal led Dixie down to the secret room. Dixie couldn't help but laugh at the silliness of the situation. She entered the room and remarked that the room's walls were unusually smooth. She then explained that picture hooks usually leave little holes in the wall. Palmer claimed not to know what Dixie was talking about. Dixie chuckled and told her uncle that she knew he had stolen the paintings. The statement did not lack in conviction; she was absolutely certain of the charges she'd made. Palmer continued to play dumb. Dixie said that she knew what she was talking about and that her uncle did too---as did the "spy guy" who was sitting in a car outside the house. Palmer asked his niece how she knew that the man siting outside was a spy. Dixie quipped that she had not knocked on the man's window and asked him---she just knew that he was a spy. Dixie again advised her uncle to give back the paintings and then left him alone in his room. Palmer quickly tiptoed across the room and closed the doors to his secret room. He pressed on a secret latch that opened a secret compartment that housed a secret cache of paintings in the secret room. As the wall swung open, Palmer reached in and grabbed one of the paintings. He sighed heavily as he pulled a razor blade from his pocket. "I'd hoped it would never come to this," Palmer said as the razor blade got closer and closer to the canvas. Some time later, Palmer scurried outside the secret room with a stash of rolled up tubes. The tubes were actually the canvases of the stolen paintings. So that he could move them around more easily, Palmed removed the canvases from the frames. He then hollered to his wife and implored her to race to the secret room. Opal showed up within a matter of seconds and asked her husband what was wrong. Palmer looked off into space and claimed that he could not see. Opal was ready to call an ambulance, but Palmer urged her to contact the secret agent that was hiding outside. The agent, Palmer said, would know who to call. When Opal and Mike returned to the room a few minutes later, Palmer was long gone. Opal insisted that she'd told Mike the truth when she told him that Palmer had lost his sight again. Mike, however, knew that he'd been had. Palmer lurked in a corridor---you guessed it, a secret corridor---somewhere in the mansion. He placed the rolled up canvases in the secret corridor and promised the inanimate objects that no one would ever take them from him.
Back at Wildwind, Gillian returned to the crypt donned in a blonde "Hayley" wig. Gillian wasn't a Bob Thomasen, in that she really looked nothing like the person she was supposed to be. She bent over to tie her shoe just as Lee was exiting the crypt. From behind, Lee couldn't tell that the woman before him was not really Hayley. The blonde wig was convincing and since Gillian was hunched over, Lee couldn't tell that Gillian was too tall to be Hayley. He readied a small hammer and slowly approached Gillian. He raised the hammer over his head and might have used it had Ryan not called out to Gillian. Lee scurried into hiding and listened as Ryan and Gillian talked. He popped out of hiding a few seconds later and asked Gillian why she was wearing a blonde wig. Unaware that "John" was really Lee Hawkins, Gillian and Ryan took turns blabbing the details of their plan to snare Lee Hawkins. Ryan asked Lee when he'd gotten back from his trip to Bermuda. Lee struggled to come up with a lie, simply saying that he and Mrs. Colby did not get along very well and that he decided to cut the trip short. Lee dashed off and took up his a position in the nearby bushes. Ryan told Gillian that he did not want her to go through with her plan to find Lee because he was afraid that she'd get hurt. Gillian was touched by Ryan's concern and later moved when Ryan admitted that he cared for Gillian. He asked Gillian to take off her blonde wig so that he could be "the Gillian" that he'd fallen for. Hand in hand, the pair headed back to the main house. Later, led by Junior, Dixie appeared outside the mausoleum. He tried to get his mother to let him inside the crypt so that they could see the ghost. Dixie remembered that one of Junior's friends was waiting back at the house. She headed back up to the main house and told Junior to stay put. Like any young child, Junior couldn't stay put. He started looking at the door to the crypt. Lee returned to the scene and ordered Junior to get away from the door. "You can't tall to me like that," Junior groused. "I am Adam Chandler Junior." That was the wrong thing to say. Lee literally drooled at the opportunity before him. He smiled sinisterly and told Junior that he would gladly show him what was inside the mausoleum. He put his arm around the boy and led him towards the door.
The door to the mausoleum lied directly ahead of Lee and young Adam Junior. Lee continued to urge the young boy to go inside the crypt so that he could see "the ghost." If Dixie hadn't come along, Lee could very well have... done something unthinkable. Dixie grabbed a hold of her son and pulled him out of the unknown man's clutches. She blasted Lee for being near her son and asked him who he was and why he was lurking on the grounds. Lee, somewhat taken by Dixie's forcefulness, took a few steps back and explained that he was a groundskeeper. Dixie seemed satisfied by his answer, but she warned him that he could get himself into a lot of trouble by hanging around young children. She also noted that taking a child into a spooky, old mausoleum could cause the child to have nightmares. Lee bowed his head and said that he hadn't thought about that and that he was "just funnin' the boy." Lee headed off to get back to work, or so he claimed. That left Dixie to scold her son for talking to strangers. Junior promised that he'd never do it again.
Since she'd been away and not been able to keep up-to-the-minute, Belinda dropped by Trevor's house for a little pre-trial tete-a-tete. As she entered, she overheard Trevor ending a phone call with Edmund. Edmund had phoned to say that he failed to dig up anything incriminating on Jim's brother, Bob. Belinda flashed a puzzled look and stated that she didn't know that Jim had a brother. Trevor filled his partner in on all the juicy details about Bob's sudden appearance and how he'd made Jim look like a modern day saint. Belinda frowned and wondered if there was anything that they could do to counteract Bob's testimony. The doorbell rang several times before Amanda appeared and asked if anyone was going to answer the door. Amanda opened the door and looked curiously at a slender gentleman wearing a bowler-type hat and glasses. She must have thought that the man was another Albert and asked her father if the man at the door was "for real." Trevor introduced the man, a long-time acquaintance, as Alfred Vanderpoole. The man said that he was now a branch manager at the local bank, the same bank at which Trevor had his account. Trevor worried that something was wrong with his bank account---or possibly one of the checks that he'd cashed. That was not the case; a house call warranted something bigger than a bounced check. Alfred said that his new position as branch manager landed an interesting account on his desk: a safe deposit box given to James Thomasen. Alfred explained that he hadn't looked at the box, but that none of Jim's relatives had come to claim the box either. Alfred stated that he was worried about what he might find in Jim's box. Trevor's mind whirred into overdrive. He raced to the phone and placed an urgent call to another of his old friends. Janet pulled her husband aside and asked him what he was up to. She knew that whatever it was wasn't going to be something that she wanted to hear. Trevor confirmed that what he had planned wasn't exactly legal. In an attempt to reassure his wife, he told her that, "there's illegal and then there's illegal." Later, Derek arrived at the house to discuss Trevor's phone call. Derek refused to cooperate with Trevor's plan. He said that he could get into serious trouble and that helping Trevor wouldn't exactly endear him to Keith McClean. Trevor begged Derek to help him. He reminded him that Brooke's future was at stake and asked him to reconsider. Meanwhile, Amanda told Janet that Harold was still refusing to eat his food. The problem had gone on for at least several weeks and Amanda was becoming more and more concerned. Janet promised to take Harold to the veterinarian if Harold wasn't better by the next day.
Tad dropped by Brooke's to pick up Jamie and take him to Wildwind for some swimming. His clothing was wrinkled and Tad generally looked like he'd gotten little sleep the night before. Phoebe noticed Tad's appearance and accused him of partying all night while the mother of his child faced another day in court. Tad didn't explain. He simply said that he had not been partying. Dimitri showed up a few minutes later and, needless to say, he was not at all pleased to see Tad. Tad told Dimitri that he thought it was best for him to leave. Phoebe piped in that she was in total agreement. Dimitri stated that he wanted to see if Brooke was okay. Tad immediately assumed that Dimitri had done something to upset Brooke. Brooke walked down the steps and explained that Dimitri had actually saved her. She told the tale of her encounter with Bob in the witness room.. Jamie dashed down the steps and announced that was ready to go swimming. Jamie dashed out the door. Tad followed his son to the car and Phoebe went to check on her luncheon plans with Juanita Ramsey. Brooke thanked Dimitri for all the help he's given her over the past few weeks. "You needed help and I wanted to help you," Dimitri replied. It was, perhaps, the most sincere explanation ever to leave Dimitri's lips. Brooke asked Dimitri to stay for lunch, but Dimitri felt that neither Phoebe nor Juanita would want him in their company. Brooke suggested that they could have lunch by themselves. Dimitri smiled meekly and told Brooke that he'd lied. He hadn't just lied to her---or himself, for that matter---he lied under oath. "I said that I didn't love you," Dimitri said softly. "The truth is, I do." He told Brooke that she shouldn't feel obligated to say anything in return. He just wanted to set the record straight and stop the lies. Dimitri flashed another semi-smile and told Brooke that he'd see her later in court.
When Phoebe returned to the room, she found Brooke sitting on the sofa in a daze. If the eyes are the window to one's soul, Brooke's soul was on the verge of crying. She asked her aunt if it was possible that a person could become so numb that they no longer had feelings. Phoebe nodded and said that after all that Brooke has been through, it was only natural for her to be feeling out of synch. Brooke likened herself to "an amputee," in that she was trying to reach for something and did not have the ability to use her arms. The only thing that Brooke could feel, she said, was fear. Phoebe sighed and urged her niece to hang in there and to not let anyone try to force her to feel anything.
Tad and Jamie arrived at Wildwind and bumped into Dixie and Jamie just a few feet away from the mausoleum. The two boys scurried to the swimming pool, where Junior bragged that he'd just gone off the high dive. Dixie's heart still pounded as she thought of her son hurling himself into the water from several feet in the air. Like Phoebe, Dixie could see that Tad had had a rough night. She assumed that he'd been up all night working on a strategy to nail Bob. Tad said that he'd made some phone calls and that nothing had panned out. Dixie insisted that Tad must have an ace up his sleeve. She told Tad that she'd seen the way he's been acting lately, something that intrigued Tad. He joked that he might start thinking that Dixie still had feelings for him if she continues to keep such close tabs on him. Dixie headed to the pool to check on the kids, but when she returned she heard Tad finishing up a phone call. "I owe you one," Tad said with a smile. Dixie strutted towards Tad and asked him if the man on the other end had given him good news. The person on the other end was a woman, Tad said correcting his ex-wife. He also claimed that the woman was someone from WRCW who agreed to take his calls and do some of his work so that he could be at the courthouse when Brooke's trial reconvened. Dixie feared that unless there was some type of divine intervention, Brooke was going to end up in jail. Tad smiled slightly and said that he guessed that Dixie was right.
The drama at Cortlandt Manor continued. Mike blasted Palmer for giving him the slip. Opal didn't like the way that Mike was talking about her errant husband and began defending Palmer's good name. Mike explained that Palmer had feigned blindness so that he could get the painting out of the mansion. It seemed like an obvious setup, but Opal refused to believe Mike's scenario. Mike asked Opal for fifteen minutes to prove that he was telling her the truth. He began feeling the wall and tapping it in several locations. Opal rolled her eyes and mused that Mike was "[becoming] one with the wall." Mike hit a spot on the wall and suddenly one of the panels swung open. Inside the secret compartment was a stash of old picture frames. Opal's eyes bulged and her mouth dropped open. Mike gasped when he realized that Palmer had cut the paintings from their frames. He surmised that Palmer must have snuck the paintings out in shipping tubes or rolls of carpet. "Windowshades," Opal gasped. She recalled seeing about half a dozen shades outside the secret room. There were no windows in the basement and slowly reality began to rain down upon Opal. Mike examined the frames and somehow determined that one was from a Rembrandt painting and another from a Reubens work. "He lied to me, his wife," Opal said in shock. Mike quickly raced over to Opal and helped her into Palmer's chair. Mike vowed to track down Palmer so that the paintings could be returned to their rightful owners. Opal had been convinced of her husband's guilt until she realized that he could be facing fines and jail time. She painted on a warrior's face and raced to her husband's defense. She blasted Mike for telling lies about her husband. She also ripped into him for turning Erica's life upside-down with a plethora of lies. Opal insisted that her life had been happy until Mike returned from the dead. Mike told Opal that he knew that that was not true. Opal responded by slapping Mike across the cheek. "I'm not the enemy," Mike responded. He left Opal and said that he would send someone over to collect the frames. Opal waited until Mike left before breaking down. She sank into the red leather chair and sobbed uncontrollably. "No one has ever loved you as much as me," she said aloud. How, she asked herself, could Palmer had hurt her so deeply.
Palmer took one last look at his pictures which, as Opal suspected, were wrapped up in windowshades. He then tucked the pictures into a old pipe somewhere in the secret passage.
Derek succumbed to Trevor's pressure and agreed to go to the bank to investigate the safe deposit box. Derek remained worried that he could get into some type of trouble. Trevor handed Derek a "lucky pen" and asked him to use that pen to sign the log file. Derek told Trevor that he hopes he finds what he's looking for. Derek opened the box and he, Belinda, and Trevor gasped simultaneously. The contents of the box prompted a stunning reaction from Trevor. "That son of a... if Brooke hadn't shot him, I would have," Trevor snarled.
While Lee prowled around outside the mausoleum, Marian was busy inside trying to pry loose on of the vault markers. She had previously managed to knock Helga's brass identification marker off of the wall. Now, however, she had bigger plans. Using her fingernails as her main tool, Marian's fingers soon began to tire. She crawled back over to the center of the room and slumped over in exhaustion. Lee returned a little whole later and told Marian about his chance encounter with Adam Junior. Lee drooled as he related how close he'd come to getting a hold of the young boy. "I was this close to Adam Chandler's boychild." He also growled about how Gillian had been prancing around pretending to be Hayley. Marian begged Lee to forget about his plan to harm the young child. Lee, however, said that the Bible gave him to right to take his anger out on Adam's son. Still believing that Marian was Joy, Lee asked Marian to recite a Bible verse that pertained to his ability to punish Adam's children for his crimes. Apparently, Joy had memorized the Bible---both Old and New Testaments. Marian, however, knew little about Bible passages and was forced to come up with one on the fly. "The sins of the father are of less than no importance for they suffer to cometh unto the Lord," Marian babbled. Her quote, she said, came from the book of "Neuteronomy." Lee was infuriated by the woman's unwillingness to help him. And Marian's insistence that the Bible preached that one should do good, not evil only made Lee madder. He announced that he was headed out to take care of Stuart, Adam, Adam Junior, and anyone else that came in his way. Then we he returned, he said, he would take care of Marian. When Lee left, Marian knew that she had little time to get herself out of danger. She returned to Helga's burial vault and continued trying to pry the compartment open. This time, she successful and the vault slowly opened. She poked her head inside and gasped in shock.
Inside the secret passageway, Palmer heard the sound of voices coming from the other side of the wall. Palmer had found the best hiding place of all, someplace no one would ever think to look for his paintings: his nemesis' home---Chandler Mansion! In the livingroom area, Allie confronted Adam about his promise to get her medical license reinstated. She insisted that since she had lived up to her end of the deal and kept quiet about his "sperm swapping," he should return the favor and get her back her license. Adam explained that he was trying to teach Allie "the art of the deal." Allie didn't care about the lesson. She had a gut feeling that Adam was trying to put one past her. Adam rebuked Allie's gut feeling, asking her if she would eat ice cream and candy all day if her gut feeling told her to do so. Allie disliked Adam's condescending tone and asked him to stop treating her like she was a three year-old. Using his typical sass, Adam remarked that Allie was far too health conscious to put just anything into her mouth. But when it came to what came out of her mouth, that was a totally different thing. Palmer pressed his ear to the wall and listened closely to the conversation. It was difficult to tell whether or not he'd overheard anything that he shouldn't have. He waited patiently for everyone to leave so that he could make his escape. Liza barged into the mansion in mid-sentence and stopped when she saw that Allie and Adam were chatting it up. Allie was unable to come up with a reason as to why she was there. Adam stepped in an claimed that Allie had dropped by to issue him a order not to interfere in Liza's life. Liza was somewhat perplexed, but she accepted Allie's assistance in dealing with Adam. Adam promised that he would stay out of Liza's life and then dismissed Allie. Adam and Liza went to another room and Allie headed towards the door. Palmer seized the opportunity to sneak out of the secret passage. He hadn't counted on Allie returning to the livingroom and seeing him come crawling out of the wall. "I guess I'd better tell Adam," Allie snarled, "what just crawled out of his wall so that he can call an exterminator." Palmer didn't cringe. Instead, he opted for a cooler approach. He praised Allie's strength as an adversary. He told her, however, that telling Adam that she found him lurking about his livingroom wouldn't accomplish anything. Palmer suggested that he and Allie go somewhere more private so that they could discuss a possible agreement. Later, Liza and Adam returned to the room. Liza began to worry about her mother's safety. She held her head and said that she felt dizzy. She leaned over and rested her head on Adam's shoulder. While out of the room, they'd placed a call to Barry Shire and learned that none of Adam's investigators had been able to find Marian. Stuart arrived and was disappointed with the news. It was briefly discussed that Lee might be involved in Marian's disappearance. Everyone initially dashed the idea because Marian and Lee supposedly had no connection. But as they thought about it, it sort of made sense. Marian was tied to Stuart, who was Adam's brother. Knowing that Lee was always a bit crazy, Adam was now legitimately worried that something bad might have happened to Marian. Liza was marveled by Adam's concern and wished that her mother could see how Adam was acting. When Barry showed up later, he broke the news that the investigation into Marian's disappearance had made some progress. While they were still not sure where Marian was, they knew that she hadn't left Pine Valley.
In Allie's room at Myrtle's, Palmer and Allie were ready to get down to business. Allie had, technically, blown her chance to blow Palmer out of the water. With Palmer off of Adam's property, Allie no longer had any proof that Palmer had been trespassing. In his nervous state, Palmer had apparently not realized that; his mind was too preoccupied with the thought of protecting his stolen paintings. Palmer warned Allie that it was dangerous to tangle with a man like Adam Chandler. Allie smirked slightly and stated that Palmer's comment was a lot like the pot calling the kettle black. Palmer offered Allie a stunning prospect: if she didn't tell Adam that she'd seen him coming out of the secret passage, he would do his best to get the charges against her dropped.
Time passed quickly and Brooke's trial was about to resume. Belinda pulled up a seat next to Edmund prayed that he'd managed to dig up dirt on Bob Thomasen. Edmund bowed his head slightly and sadly noted that Bob's record was perfect. In the front of the courtroom, Dimitri was busy offering Trevor advice on how to handle his cross-examination of Jim's brother. His advice included doing anything he had to in order to make Bob crack. Trevor explained that the jury would see him as a tyrant if he was too hard on the disabled witness. Belinda and Trevor had a brief chat, with Belinda stating that it appeared that Bob was a saint. Trevor said that he'd progress normally with his questioning and that if Plan A failed to yield the desired results, he'd have to go to Plan B. "Are you sure you're okay with this?" Belinda asked gingerly. Trevor nodded.
Outside the courtroom, the media corps went wild as the key players started to straggle into the courthouse. Dixie was surrounded and asked how it felt to be the women who had "slum-dunked" two of Brooke's marriages. When Opal walked down the corridor, none of the members of the press even bothered to talk to her. She didn't go unnoticed, though. Jack pulled her aside and immediately demanded to know where Palmer has taken the stolen paintings. Opal continued to insist that her husband was innocent. Her sole reason for doubting Mike and Jack's claims was that Palmer had sworn to her that he hadn't stolen the paintings. A husband doesn't lie to his wife, said Opal. Opal became emotional. She told Jack that she would not be "ambushed" and that she would not answer any more of the District Attorney's questions unless her attorney was present. She then stated that she needed to step inside the courtroom so that she could support her grandson's mother. Jack got on the phone and phoned Mike to tell him that Opal apparently didn't know anything about the paintings. He did say that Opal must now know that Palmer had lied to her---but that she refused to admit it to herself.
Inside the courtroom, Brooke asked Trevor what he was "sitting on." She knew that something was up and demanded that she be told. It was, after all, her freedom that was on the line. Trevor told Brooke that he couldn't tell her because it would ruin the surprise. By keeping mum, Trevor felt that the jury would see that Brooke was surprised by the revelation that was coming. There was one glitch, but Trevor didn't let on. He still faced the possibility that his new evidence would not be admissible. Bob retook the stand and readied for Trevor's questions. Trevor briefly reviewed Bob's testimony. Bob continued to talk up his late brother, saying that Jim was incapable of harming anyone. Trevor decided to revisit Bob's accident. He asked Bob how he'd gotten his injury. He already knew that Bob had run out into the street after a ball. How did the ball end up in the street----who threw it? Bob explained that his brother had tossed the ball and that Jim had felt responsible for the accident ever since. "Are you one-hundred percent certain that it was an accident?" Trevor asked. Jim could see where Trevor was headed. He blasted the idea that Jim had intentionally thrown the ball into the street hoping that Bob would be hurt. Trevor moved on. He asked Bob how his schoolmates had treated him after the accident. Bob noted that many of the kids had teased him, but he stated that the teasing didn't last long. Why had the teasing stopped? Apparently, Jim through his weight around and threatened to throttle anyone who gave Bob a hard time. Just as Bob painted a picture of his brother being a bully, he quickly backtracked and said that Jim was only out to protect him. "No one knew him like I knew him," Bob remarked. "No," Trevor said. "No one did know him like you knew him." The implication was that Bob was the only one who saw Jim as a nice guy. Trevor was finished with the witness and returned to his desk. Brooke grabbed hold of his arm and asked him why he'd stopped when it appeared that he had Bob on the run. Trevor stated that he had something else cooking. With that, he rose to his feet and announced that he wanted to introduce new evidence. Keith leapt to his feet and blasted Trevor for violating a court order. The jury was sent out of the room and Judge Foster listened to arguments from both Trevor and Keith. Keith reminded the judge that he had previously issued a ruling that required the defense to notify him of any evidence that they'd found. Trevor pointed out that Keith had tried to pull a fast one by calling Bob as a surprise witness. Trevor was becoming extremely angry. Belinda stepped in to speak on his behalf before the anger turned Judge Foster against them. Belinda noted that their new evidence had only been discovered a few hours before court was scheduled to resume. She also stated that they had gone through the proper procedure for procuring the evidence. With that, Derek approached the front of the courtroom holding the mysterious safe deposit box. Judge Foster gaveled a recess and asked al the attorneys to meet him in his chambers. Edmund and Dimitri crowded around Brooke and asked her if she had any idea what was in the box. The look on Brooke's face was a combination of concern, fear, and total confusion. She shrugged and said that she was just as clueless as everyone else.
Outside in the corridor, Adrian, Mike, and Jack discussed how to track down Palmer's secret---and missing---stash of paintings. Adrian decided to tail Opal in the hopes that she would lead him to the paintings. Tad and Dixie plopped down on a bench and chowed down on some coconut-flavored candy. Dixie asked Tad if he had any idea what was in the box. Very unconvincingly, Tad said that he didn't even have a clue. Dixie hoped that whatever it was would help Brooke. That way, she said, Tad would be able to keep his promise to Jamie. Tad stated that if that was the case, it would "certainly be the answer to our prayers." There was something about the way Tad made the comment that caused Dixie to watch Tad closely. He was definitely acting peculiarly.
Back inside, Judge Foster was ready to issue his verdict. He decided that since the defense's case needed to prove that Jim was a less than reputable man, he had to admit the box as evidence. Trevor leaned over to Janet and warned her that she might want to leave the courtroom because what lied ahead was not going to be easy.
"Are you sure?" Stuart asked Adam's attorney. Barry was sure alright. He explained that his network of investigators had failed to turn up any evidence that would prove that Marian had left Pine Valley. Adam's suggestion that Marian had used a pseudonym made sense, but Barry explained that Marian still would have had to pay for a trip with her own money. He then noted that none of Marian's credit cards had been used and that her bank account showed no activity in the past few days. Adam asked if Marian kept cash on hand at her home. Liza nodded, but indicated that her mother never keeps more then twenty dollars in her purse. Twenty dollars could have been enough to buy a tank of gas, but Marian's car was still in her garage. Barry also was forced to confess that the investigation team had also failed to locate Lee Hawkins. Liza could see that they were getting nowhere fast. If she had any doubts before, Liza now knew that something definitely was not right. Adam wondered if "John" had dumped Marian, causing her to crawl off somewhere to "lick her wounds." Liza looked at Stuart and smiled. She told Adam that she honestly believes that there is only one man in her mother's life. Stuart offered what should have been taken as a big clue, but his statement was disregarded as dribble by his brother. He noted that when Marian disappeared, Camille's ashes as disappeared. The connection was there, but no one saw it. Liza suffered another bout of lightheadness. She dropped her purse and a home pregnancy kit fell out. She scrambled to tuck the kit back into her purse and to minimize Adam's imminent questioning.
At the Pine Valley International Airport, Lee strutted to a ticket counter and asked for a ticket on a flight that would take him as far away from Pine Valley as possible. The ticketing agent looked curiously at Lee. The odd behavior was definitely a tip-off. Lee decided on a final destination: Buenos Aires, Argentina. The agent asked the typical questions---what class, when did he want to leave, and would the trip by a round-trip? Lee decided that first class was the only way to go because "you only live once." He then stated that the trip would be one-way and that the passenger would be his wife, Joy. It came time to pay for the ticket and Lee forked over a credit card he'd taken from Marian's purse. The observant agent told Lee that the name on the card was Marian Colby, not Joy. Lee smiled coolly, saying that his wife's name was Marian Joy Colby.
Back at Chandler Mansion, Barry burst into the room and announced that a plane ticket had just been purchased with Marian's credit card. The flight was scheduled to leave in less than half and hour, so Stuart and Adam knew that they'd have to act fast. They dashed to the airport, with Adam telling Liza that he'd have his private jet fly to Argentina if it meant getting Marian back safely. When the Chandler brothers arrived at the airport, they'd missed the flight by only a few minutes. The ticketing agent refused to stop the plane from taking off and he also refused to give them any information on passengers' name or whether or not Marian was on the plane. Stuart start to panic, but Adam told him that his plane was ready and that they could head to Argentina immediately.
At WRCW, Liza took a deep breath and advised her secretary to hold all of her calls. She hung up the phone, took another deep breath, and then walked down the hall to the ladies' room. She prepared to take her pregnancy test, making sure that she did everything exactly right. Five minutes passed and Liza looked down to see if a little blue mark had appeared on her test. Her head fell back and she looked up at the ceiling. Where, she asked herself, was her mother?
Allie was dumbfounded by Palmer's offer to have all charges against her. She knew that there had to be some strings attached. Palmer smiled wryly and assured Allie that her wanted nothing in return---except for her silence. Allie could not believe her sudden change of fortune. For weeks, she had been moping about her room thinking about her many problems. Now, she had "two gift horses" offering to help her deal with the problems she faced. Allie tried to tweak Palmer a bit by stating that Adam would be "grateful" if she told him that she'd found Palmer skulking around the mansion. Palmer didn't enjoy being out over the barrel. "I've been winning the game long before you were old enough to read the rules," Palmer snapped. Jake returned home from his shift at the hospital and headed directly to Allie's room. When he walked in the room, he immediately saw Palmer and Allie engaged in a tense stare of. He demanded to know what was going on. Unlike the way she'd handled Liza's sudden appearance at Chandler Mansion during her chat with Adam, Allie was quick to come up with a fast lie. She told Jake that Palmer had dropped by with an offer to get the charges against her dropped. Jake laughed. He knew that something had to be up. "Judge not lest ye be judged," Palmer told Jake. Palmer put on his most sincere facial expressions and told Jake that he had no ulterior motives. Citing Allie's medical assistance after the explosion at Holidays, Palmer said that he now knew that Allie's dream was to be a doctor. Palmer sadly said that he did not want to be the one to take that dream away from her. Jake was paged away for a few minutes and during his absence, Palmer hoped to seal the deal with Allie: dropping the charges in return for her silence. Palmer decided that he needed one final bit of persuasion to win Allie over. He told Allie that while Adam might be able to get her her medical license back, he could not get the charges against her drop. And, he added, it would be awfully difficult to practice medicine from behind bars. Palmer reached his hand out to Allie. She hesitated for several minutes before taking his hand and sealing their agreement. Jake returned and Palmer quickly waddled of. On his way out the door, he thanked "Doctor Doyle" for everything she's done for him. Allie chirped giddily. She hugged Jake and told him that she was on her way back to practicing medicine. Several times, Allie mentioned that she would "not be left behind" and that she and Jake would have a bright future together.
Getting Judge Foster to accept the safe deposit box into evidence was the first hurdle for the defense. Trevor called Alfred Vanderpoole to the stand as the first step in presenting the mysterious contents of the box. In the back of the courtroom, Dixie whispered to Opal that Tad should be there to see what is going to happen. On the stand, Alfred explained that he'd come across the purchase order for the box while doing some routine paperwork. When he recognized Jim's name from the newspaper headlines, he immediately contacted Trevor to tell him that the box had been located. Also in his testimony, Alfred stated that the signature card that showed ownership of the box matched Jim's signature. On cross-examination, Keith asked Alfred why he'd contacted Trevor instead of the police. Alfred said that he knew that Trevor was a valued customer of the bank and that he had many years experience as a detective. The assistant district attorney also got Alfred to admit that he had never seen Jim putting anything into the box. Alfred quickly noted that he had, however, seen Jim in the bank on many occasions. Derek was the next witness called. He swore that since discovering the box, he had not let the box out of his sight. He also assured the court that he had taken the proper steps in securing the box, steps that included obtaining a court order. With that, Trevor displayed the contents of the box. "If a picture is worth a thousand words," Trevor said, "then these ten pictures are worth ten thousand witnesses." One by one, he placed photographs of young children up on board in the front of the courtroom. A chill went through the courtroom. The pictures were all of young children, children enjoying the amusement park or a walk in the park. The final picture provoked the most emotion. "Oh my God! That's Amanda!" Janet screamed as she leapt to her feet." What was that pervert doing with a picture of our daughter?" Judge Foster banged his gavel and asked for order in the courtroom. He granted a five minute recess so that Trevor could calm his wife down. During the break, Phoebe remarked that here is a "special place in hell" for Jim Thomasen, Myrtle commented that sometimes she feels that she's "lived too long and seen too much." Trevor managed to comfort his sobbing wife, but before he knew it the recess was over. The lawyer learned over and told his client that "this one's for all the marbles." The next phase of testimony consisted of identifying the children whose photos were found in the box and showing that there was no parental consent to take the pictures. On cross-examination, Keith hammered home two strong points. He got Derek to admit that photographers take their work seriously and that it was normal for some to squirrel away photographs in places where the pictures would not get harmed. It was also learned that the pictures had no fingerprints on them. Derek, however, minimized the damage done by explaining that photographers handle the prints with tongs and gloves and that it was not uncommon for there to be no fingerprints. Keith asked if there was any proof that would show that Jim had actually taken the photographs. Derek stated that the negatives were found in Jim's office at Tempo. That was all Keith had to hear. He asked Derek if he had ever thought about the possibility that Jim was working on a piece for Tempo. Trevor quickly recalled Edmund to the stand and got him to testify that Jim was not working on a project that would require him to take photographs of young children. And if her were, Edmund assured Trevor that the magazine would have required Jim to get parental release forms. When it came time for cross-examination, Keith was confident that he could nix any gains that Trevor had made with his line of questioning. He asked Edmund if it was possible that Jim was freelancing for another company. Edmund looked Keith square in the eyes. "As per the terms of Jim's contract," Edmund said, Jim's services were exclusive to Tempo. In short, Jim was not allowed to be doing work for any other publication. Keith quickly backed off an said that he had no additional questions. He knew that he'd just shot himself in the foot by asking a question to which he had not known the answer. In the crypt, Marian poked her head into the burial vault and found that it was empty. She struggled to crawl into the vault. This, she thought, would be the perfect place to hide from Lee. Marian was exhausted from lack of food and water and she was still sore from the beating she'd received. She knew that she had to close the vault door, but that created a bit of a dilemma. She couldn't reach the door from her position inside the vault. She managed to grab hold of a ling metal pole and used it to pull the door closed. The door slammed with a loud thud and Marian was hidden inside. Lee returned a few seconds later and went ballistic when he saw that Marian was missing. He warned her that when he found her, he would make her sorry. He opened the door and raced out. Inside the chamber, Marian could tell that Lee had not closed the door behind him. That meant that freedom was dangling like a carrot in front of her face. She pushed on the cement vault door to get it to open---it didn't budge. Marian was forced to face that fact that by hiding, she might have sealed her fate: she was too weak to get the door back open.
