THOMAS HOME

Detective Joel Kincaid opened the door to Blake Thomas' house and stepped inside, with Officer Jamie Grady following him. After finding that Blake's fingerprints were the ones found in the morgue after Damon Johnson's murder, Joel obtained a search warrant for not only Blake's house, but for the Anderson home as well.

Officers had already searched Blake's room at the Anderson home, where Joel also retrieved keys to Blake's house from Kelli Anderson. Now he and Officer Grady were about to search Blake's house for any evidence connecting him to Damon's murder.

"We didn't find anything in Blake's room, what makes you think we'll find something here?" Officer Grady asked.

"Well, he was actually living here when the Johnson kid was murdered," Joel explained. "I'm hoping he slipped up and left some sort of evidence."

Joel turned on the lights in the living room, his attention immediately turning to a stain on the living room floor. It appeared to be blood.

"Finish checking upstairs," Joel said. "And make sure you call forensics so they can run a sample on that stain there…might be the break we're looking for."

Joel started toward the kitchen, where the door that led to the basement was. He opened the door and turned on the basement light, wondering what he would find downstairs.



BUN SHACK

Jessica Reyes stood in front of a large cardboard box, filled with Bun Shack uniforms. The uniforms were a color blend of purple, pink, and green — all colors that Jessica loved, but somehow they didn't seem to work on the uniforms.

She removed hers from the box and stared at it, unable to speak.

"It's wretched, isn't it?"

Jessica turned to see a young girl she recognized from school smiling at her. Jessica couldn't place her name, however.

Jessica laughed. "Did my face give it away?"

"A little bit," Stephanie replied. "Maybe you should take a few acting classes."

Smiling, Jessica extended her hand to Stephanie. "I'm Jessica Reyes."

Stephanie shook Jessica's hand. "I know, I'm Stephanie Collins. I'll be a sophomore at Marquette Cove in the fall."

"Nice," Jessica said. "Are you…Dr. Collins' daughter?"

"Yep, that's me," Stephanie said. "Unfortunately, we don't have one of those spends all his time at work and ignores me problems like most kids you'd find on Oprah, or something."

"Wow, really?" Jessica asked. "I'd expect the hospital Chief of Staff to be busy like, all the time."

"Oh, he is," Stephanie responded. Off Jessica's confused look, she decided to elaborate, "He's very busy, it's just not a problem for me, per se."

"Oh," Jessica said. "Sorry, my brain's sort of frozen after that horrible instructional video."

"Tell me about it," Stephanie said, taking her own uniform from the box as other employees began to file into the room.

"Okay, if everyone could please grab an appropriately sized uniform and have a seat, we can get moving with the orientation," Joseph Donner, the manager of Bun Shack, announced as he entered the room.

Stephanie and Jessica took seats next to each other and continued talking until everyone was finished grabbing shirts. Jessica found out that Stephanie's father was forcing her to get a job for the summer so that she could learn some responsibility, in his own words. Jessica was getting the job to help pay for college, which would be coming up in a couple of years.

Also, Jessica really wanted to help her mother pay enough bills so that she could afford to quit her job and start searching for a better one. Working for the Hanleys consumed all over her time, so she couldn't search for a job and if she quit, she wouldn't have any income until another job came along.

"Now, let's start with the basics," Joseph began. "We're all going to get to know each other a little better."

"Damn," Stephanie whispered. "Looks like we jumped the gun, didn't we?"



GREGORY BLACK'S APARTMENT

Gregory Black entered his apartment to find his teenage brother, Timothy, sitting on the couch reading an Entertainment Weekly. It was the only piece of furniture in the apartment at the moment, and rather than helping his brother and sister, Kimberly, unload boxes from outside Tim was reading a magazine.

"Tim, what the hell do you think you're doing?" Greg demanded.

"Reading," Tim responded. "It's fundamental."

"It's also being lazy," Greg said, tossing the box he was carrying at his brother.

The box hit the cushion next to Tim, causing Tim to drop the magazine he had in his hands and stand up. "Fine, twist my arm."

As Tim disappeared out of the apartment into the hallway, Kimberly entered from her own apartment, across the hall from Greg's.

"Hey Greg," Kimberly said.

"Sis," Greg said. "Want to help me kill our brother?"

"What did he do this time?"

"The trip here was enough to make me want to kill myself," Greg said. "Why am I moving in with a teenager, again?"

"Because you're a mascot?" Kimberly asked.

"Masochist."

"That too."

Kimberly frowned. She was about to say something else, when they both heard something crashing in the hallway. Greg sighed heavily and plopped down on the couch, burying his face in his hands.

Matt Holden opened the door to his uncle's house, then walked into the foyer with his best friend, Ricard Branch. He and Ric had stopped by to see Michael Hanley because he had called Matt earlier and told him that he had a surprise for him at the mansion.

"What do you think this surprise is?" Ric asked, closing the front door.

"Knowing my uncle?" Matt asked. "He probably wants to kill me for something. Or, you know, show me how much of a marvelous time he's having here with Vince."

"Marvelous?"

"It's a word people use," Matt insisted. "Shut up."

"I don't understand you," Ric said.

"You don't understand a lot," Matt reminded him, entering the living room.

He sat down on the couch and reached for a large box resting on the coffee table. He opened the box and removed a cigar from it, then set it down on the table.

"We can wait for my uncle," Matt said. "Have a seat."

Ric sat down, feeling slightly uncomfortable hanging out with Matt in his uncle's mansion. Partly because Matt's family was far more wealthy than Ric's own, but also because Ric was still uneasy being friends with Matt now that he had left Quentin Blood's drug organization.

Matt was still a part of that organization, and now Ric felt as if he had left his best friend to the wolves. When he didn't feel like Matt was part of some revenge scheme devised by Quentin, that is.

As Matt prepared to smoke one of his uncle's cigars, a beautiful woman walking into the living room, wearing a sports bra and track pants, distracted him. She smiled at Matt and Ric. "Hey there…I'm Ariel."

Matt and Ric didn't respond, they couldn't even bother to pick up their jaws from the floor.



SACRED HEART REHABILITATION CENTER
FORDHAM BAY

Robert Bale knocked on Leslie Moore's door, waiting for her to invite him into the room. He had received a received a phone call a couple of days ago from her, asking him to visit her so they could plan Leslie's appeal to be released from the center.

The first time, she had been ordered by a court to attend rehab, but now Leslie was hoping there was some type of loophole to prevent her from being locked up this time. Robert wasn't too sure about helping her at first, but Leslie had convinced him that there was more to her second stint in rehab than he knew.

Leslie opened the door to her room and let Robert step inside, and then she closed the door and smiled at him. "Hello, Robert."

"Leslie, it's good to see you," Robert said, setting his briefcase down on a nearby chair and giving her a quick hug.

"I'm going to get straight to the point," Leslie said. "The way I ended up in rehab…it wasn't my fault, Derek was behind it."

Robert frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Robert, I found out something horrible," Leslie continued. "I found out that Robert killed my husband."

"Dear God, Leslie…are you sure about this?"

"I found proof, he admitted it," Leslie said. "And when I tried to go to the police, he attacked me and, well…he made sure I ended up here."

"Leslie, I am so sorry," Robert said. "I had no idea."

"I know," Leslie said. "And now that he's dead, there's not much we can do to Derek. But I need to get back home with my children. They need me, Robert."

"I'm not sure what I can do, Leslie."

"Get me out of here," Leslie said. "Get me the hell out of here."



GREGORY BLACK'S APARTMENT

Greg glanced out the window and saw Tim fumbling with another box. "Maybe I should have stuck him in that nursing home with mom."

"Greg, please," Kimberly said, sitting down on the couch.

"I'm kidding, Kim," Greg said. "I love the kid. He's just grating at times. All teenagers are…I mean, you should know, you had to grow up with me."

"Yeah, I did," Kimberly laughed. "But really, how is mom doing?"

"Mom's fine," Greg said. "She's doing a lot better now that she's where people can help her. I mean…I really did want to stay there and help her, but I need to move on with my life, with a career. I need to give Tim a life."

"I know," Kimberly said. "I'm just worried about her."

"Not worried enough to visit her," Greg muttered.

Kimberly frowned. "That was low, Greg."

"I'm sorry. I didn't meant it like that."

"I know you didn't," Kimberly said. "This is just going to take some getting used to."

They both remained silent.

"So…I have to go down to the high school this week," Greg said, breaking their silence.

"For the job as the English teacher?" Kimberly asked.

"Yeah, I'm gonna teach some summer classes. Before the fall semester starts, and I go full-time."

"Sounds like fun," Kimberly said.

"Not as much fun as Tim's having," Greg said, returning his attention to the window.



BUN SHACK

"Well, that was fun," Stephanie said, exiting the building with Jessica.

They both stood outside, waiting for their respective rides to arrive and pick them up. Jessica handed Stephanie back her cell phone, after borrowing it to make sure her boyfriend, Alec Bale, knew when to pick her up.

"Yep, a blast and a half," Jessica said. "I guess we get our hours in a few weeks, when the place actually opens up."

"Looks like," Stephanie said. "Hopefully, we'll have some of the same hours. It'll be so much easier to get through this job with someone I know rather than with the medication I know."

"I've got my fingers crossed," Jessica said.

"So, that was your boyfriend you called?" Stephanie asked.

"Yeah. Alec Bale, do you know him?"

"Actually, yes. He's on stage crew, right? I was in the musical this year."

"Okay, now I remember why you seemed familiar," Jessica said. "Yeah, he's on stage crew. Hopefully he'll be stage manager next year."

"I'm sure he'd be great," Stephanie said. "My own boyfriend…lives in California."

"Long distance relationship, huh?"

"Yeah, we met at this theatre camp over the summer last year," Stephanie replied. "We're still dating, so I guess he sees something in me. He's been here to visit a few times, and I've gone to visit him a couple of times."

"Wow, that sounds —"

Before Jessica could finish, Alec pulled up next to her in his car.

"Wow, he's cute," Stephanie said. "Later."

Jessica waved at Stephanie as she climbed into Alec's car. Once they drove off, Jessica leaned in to kiss her boyfriend on the cheek.

"Hey honey," Alec said, smiling. "How'd the orientation go?"

"Boring, but I met a girl there who was kind of cool," Jessica said. "Stephanie Collins, do you know her?"

"Don't think so," Alec said.

"She's was in the musical," Jessica explained.

Alec rolled his eyes. "An actor."

Jessica changed the subject to ask Alec what his plans were for later.

"I thought we could go see a movie," Alec suggested.

"Sorry…I can't," Jessica said. "I've got plans with Vince."

"Excuse me?" Alec demanded.

"He just lost his uncle, Alec," Jessica said. "Someone has to be there for him."

"Yes, his family," Alec said. "Remember how he attacked you? Remember your restraining order against him?"

"I had it dropped," Jessica said. "It just…it didn't feel right."

"I should go with you, if you want to support him," Alec insisted.

"No, Alec," Jessica said, shaking her head. "I don't want to start anything between you two. I just want to start things over with Vince. Can you let me do that?"

Alec sighed. "Of course I can, honey. I love you, know that?"

Jessica smiled. "I know."



THOMAS HOME

Blake Thomas arrived at his house, wanting to head into the basement to check on his brother, Michael Thomas. Thomas was still resting there, after having been put into a coma by whatever evil thing had goaded Blake into resurrecting his brother in the first place.

He had taken a shortcut home, so he appeared at the door in the backyard rather than the front door. Blake removed his set of keys from his pocket and unlocked the door, and then he opened it and stepped inside. Once inside, Blake saw that the basement door was open.

His first thought was that his brother had overcome the spell that was put on him, but then he wondered if someone else was in the basement with his brother. He quickly rushed down the stairs and into the basement where he found Detective Kincaid nosing around.

"What the hell's going on here?" Blake demanded, hoping he hadn't seen Thomas lying on the couch.

"Blake, nice of you to stop by," Joel said, glancing up at Blake.

Blake noticed that Joel was standing directly across from the couch, so there's no possible way he couldn't have seen Thomas asleep there. Which left Blake wondering if he was the only one who could see Thomas there, or if Joel was merely waiting for the right moment to question Blake.

He didn't have a lot of time to think about either option, as Officer Grady appeared at the top of the steps.

"Find anything?"

"Yeah," Joel said. "A lot of medical stuff down here, like it's been stolen from a morgue."

Blake's face went white. "What…what's going?"

Joel grimaced. "Blake Thomas, you're under arrest for the murder of Damon Johnson."



MARQUETTE COVE MEMORIAL HOSPITAL

Simon Holden closed the door to his office and stepped out into the hallway. The majority of Simon's work was done through the hospital, at least until he decided to open his own business. His wife, Valerie, had attempted to persuade him to start his own practice with her family's money, but he wanted to use his own money to do so.

Simon had promised years ago that he was going to build a name for himself without using the Hanley fortune. Though he had occasionally succumbed to using the Hanley influence to get things he wanted during minor altercations, for the most part he never did.

As he headed toward the elevator, someone bumped into him. Simon dropped his keys onto the floor and swore under his breath.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Aaron Maddock said, bending over to pick up Simon's keys. "Didn't mean to run into you there."

"It's okay, Aaron," Simon said. "How's it going?"

"Great," Aaron said. "Trying to get lunch and take a break from all of my wonderful, court-appointed patients."

Simon laughed.

"Don't get me wrong, I love my work and I love helping people," Aaron continued. "It's just a little easier to help people who actually want help. And people who actually need help."

"I understand," Simon said. "Sometimes I just wish I would go ahead and start my own practice."

"Yeah, me too," Aaron said. "Maybe we could start one together."

Simon and Aaron walked toward the elevator. "Good one."

Aaron checked in his pocket and saw that he had left his car keys in his office, so he excused himself and hurried back to his office. Simon spent a couple minutes thinking about Aaron's suggestion, but pushed the idea into the back of his mind once the elevator arrived.



HANLEY HOME

"Hey there," Matt said, rising to his feet. "Have we…have we…"

"Met?" Ariel offered.

Matt nodded. "No."

Ric stood up as well, stepping in front of Matt to extend his hand to Ariel. Ariel was slightly amused by Ric and Matt's obvious infatuation with her, and brushed her hair out of her face to give them a clearer look.

"Hey boys," Ariel said. "It's nice to meet you both."

"How do you know Michael?" Matt asked, finally able to form a coherent sentence.

"I'm his daughter," Ariel replied. "Ariel Hanley."

"Oh," Matt said. "Then you're my…oh God."

"She's your cousin, Matthew," Michael Hanley announced, entering the living room from his adjoining office. "Do I need to give you a towel to wipe the drool from your floor?"

"Um, what are you talking about?" Matt demanded.

"You macking on your cousin," Ric reminded him.

"Shut up, Ric," Matt snapped, kicking him in the foot.

Michael smirked. "Surprise."



SACRED HEART REHABILITATION CENTER
FORDHAM BAY

"I know a few people here, I might be able to get you out temporarily," Robert said. "At least, until I can prove this Derek thing."

"No, we can't do that," Leslie said. "Derek is dead…I don't want anyone else to know what he's done to my family. I want to leave that in the past and move on."

"I'm not so sure this will remain a secret," Robert insisted. "I'm positive Vince may already know."

"My son? He knows about Derek?"

"He accused Derek of hurting you and being responsible for your return to rehab," Robert said. "I'm only assuming he did so because he already had proof."

"Oh God," Leslie cried. "Don't you see what Derek has done to my family? What he's still doing to us? Please, Robert…you have to find some way to get me out of here."

"I'll try, Leslie," Robert said softly. "I'll do my best."

Outside the room, another visitor listened as Leslie poured her heart out to Robert. He was wearing a baseball cap to conceal his identity, and carrying a folded newspaper as well for shielding his face.

"You'd better pray you stay here," Derek Moore whispered. "Otherwise, I may have to actually kill you this time."