DYNASTY; THE NEXT GENERATION
SEASON 5

EPISODE 52 "Looking Glass House"

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

"Wake up, Fallon," Jason Colby said tenderly, patting her hand.

Fallon's eyes flicked open. She seemed completely uncomprehending as
to her surroundings.

A smiling nurse then appeared. "You're in the hospital, miss. You just
had a bad fainting spell, that's all."

Fallon looked up at Jason and Frankie's concerned faces. But her face
suddenly grew pale as she began to remember. "My God," she said. "It
was him! He was there!"

"Who was there?" Frankie said.

"Jason?" she looked up at her father-in-law. "I don't know how to tell
you this. But I saw a man tonight that I thought I'd never seen
again."

"Who?" Jason said gently.

"But it can't be. He's dead. He died years ago." Her voice trailed
off. It was as if her words had no sense; no believability. She seemed
hard-pressed to utter them.

"Who did you see, Fallon?" Jason tried again.

"I saw...it was your brother! It was Cecil Colby!"

Jason and Frankie exchanged knowing glances. Jason smiled slightly as
he stroked Fallon's forehead. "There now, it couldn't have been Cecil.
You're very right. He died more than twenty years ago. You know you
must have imagined it."

"I must have. But why?" Fallon said, not quite trusting her own
senses. "But no, I'm sure it was him. I got a call. Something about
Roman, a man said. He told me to meet him in the garden behind the
church. And I saw a man. And it was Cecil! He was older, much older
than the last time I saw him. But it was him. It had to have been."

"Fallon, I'm sure that something or someone scared you," Jason said
calmly, "but it couldn't have been my late brother. More than likely,
the stress of all that's happened to you has gotten to you."

"I hope that's all it was," Fallon said. "I wouldn't want to think
that I'm out of my--" her thoughts raced back to a time when her
emotions had collided with her imagination and sent her to a place
from which she almost didn't return.

Fallon then noticed how nervous and worried her in-laws both looked.
"Oh, no. Frankie, Jason--you mustn't worry about me. I'm not going
crazy again, I promise you. You're right, it couldn't have been Cecil.
It must have been something who looked like Cecil, and my mind played
tricks on me. I'm just being silly, that's all." Her last few words
had disintegrated into a half-hearted chuckle that both relieved and
frightened Frankie and Jason at the same time.

Fallon grew quiet again and stared up at the ceiling. Something was
still bothering her. She couldn't really make herself believe what she
had just said. Because there was one thing she couldn't overlook: he
had called her by name. She shuddered under the covers and decided
then and there to withhold that last bit of information from her
in-laws for now. They were far too concerned for her well-being to
worry them further.

She then wondered why they, instead of Fallon's own parents and
husband were at the hospital. "Jeff? Wh-where is he?"

"Jeff is...well, he had an emergency, Fallon. He's all right, but
Adam's in deep doo-doo."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm not sure, but it had something to do with proof about that
collapsed building."

"Adam...that jerk," Fallon rested back onto the pillow. "And where's
Blake? Is he outside?"

"Uh, no," Jason said. "Fallon, I'm afraid he's gone off to New Zealand
with Krystle and young William. Seems that William discovered that his
mother'd been murdered."

"Patricia? How awful!" Fallon said.

"We don't know any of the details, Fallon," Frankie said. "Blake and
Krystle had run off shortly after the wedding and Adam was being
dragged into a police car. The second they were all gone, you were
found and we came with you to the hospital. The rest of the family's
back at the house."

"It's like a bad dream," Fallon stretched her neck. "First we discover
that Steven is really missing. Then Patricia is killed.
Then Adam's finally caught. Then I see Cecil Colby, back from the
dead. It's really quite absurd, isn't it? It's like I went to sleep
and woke up in a looking-glass house where everything's the wrong way
around." She sighed and closed her eyes.

Frankie and Jason remained silently at her bedside, both thinking the
same disturbing thoughts.

The Hadassah Har Hazofim Hospital, Jerusalem, Israel

"What’s taking them so long?" Danny asked, as he and Ashley
sat in the waiting room of the ER. After Krystina had collapsed, they called
an ambulance and brought her to the local hospital, still
unconscious.

"Don't worry, Danny. My uncle is the best. He'll take care of her,"
Ashley said, referring to her aunt's husband.

"I still don't understand why she came here. She didn't tell you what
she wanted, did she?" he asked, still finding it very strange that his
youngest aunt came to Israel after him.

Ashley stuttered. She couldn't tell him the truth. She knew the
second Danny found out she lied to him again, he'd leave her--
this time forever. What would she do now? Luckily for her, Krystina
collapsed before she could talk to Danny, but what would she do when Krystina wakes up and tells him everything? I have to make sure she
doesn’t talk to him, Ashley thought as shivers crossed her body. She
knew she was sounding exactly like her mother now, and this was the reason she came
to Israel in the first place, to run from Anne and her sick habits.
No, Ashley thought, I’m nothing like Anne!  She didn't want anything
bad happening to Krystina; it was just an accident, and it wasn't her
fault. She only tried to convince her not to tell Danny the truth.

"Ash?" Danny turned to her, "Are you all right?"

"Oh, yes, what did you ask?" she tried to earn some time, as Ran,
Rebecca's husband, walked out from the ER and approached them.

"Ashley, Danny," he began.

"How is she, how's Krystina?" Danny stood up and asked.

"Well she suffers from a deep concussion, apparently resulting of the
bump she got in her head when she fall down," he began.

"Is it serious?" Danny asked.

"Well she's back to full consciousness, but she's a little bit dizzy.
We gave her some pills to the pain, but other then that she was lucky.
She'll be fine," he said.

"Thank god! Can I see her now?"

"Yes, but for a short time, she's still very weak and should resting,"
the doctor said.

"Thank you, Ran. You're the best," Ashley forced a smile, "Can I see
her too?" she asked and he nodded.

"Krystina, hey!" Danny called as he walked into the room where she'd
been lying. Krystina looked at him, and tried to smile. She looked
pale and confused. Danny took her hand and sat next to her bed. Ashley
came after him, looking at Krystina, wondering if she remembered what
happened before she collapsed.

"How are you? Do you remember what happened?" Danny asked, as if reading
Ashley's mind. Ashley looked at her, tense.

"I'm not sure. The doctor said I'm in Jerusalem? What am I doing
here?" Krystina asked.

"Well, that's what I want to ask you myself. You came to visit Ashley
and me, but before I saw you, you suddenly collapsed," Danny said.

"Israel? So I'm in Israel?" Krystina asked, still dazed.

"Well yes, you don't remember why you came here?" Danny asked, worried.

"No, actually. Why did I came here?" Krystina asked and Ashley looked
at her, with a sigh of relief.

Somewhere

"You shot me, you crazy bitch, you shot me!" Jim yelled in pain as he
lay on the floor, his chest bleeding. Anne stood near him, the gun
still in her hand and looked at him with a cold look in her eyes.

"You left me no choice, Jim. I'm sorry," she said grimly.

"You are nuts, god!" he continude yelling. "Call 911, something, I'm
dying, for god sake!"

"I can't do that, Jim. Too risky," she replied coldly.

"What? What are you talking about? You have two men injured here! You
are out of your mind!"

"Maybe, but I'll be in even more trouble if I call the police," she said, "and
so will you!"

"Annie, I'm begging you, I need help! Medical help. For God’s sake, it hurts!"

"I'm sorry, Jim. You did enough. I can't take the risk of being
throw in jail. Now that Steven’s escaped and Craig’s dead, it's too
risky," she told him still very calm.

"He is not dead yet, Anne! We can save him, but not if you hesitate. We both need medical treatment right now!"

"No, it's too late for Craig, he's already dead. The question is, what
I'm gonna do with you.”

Somewhere in the mountains of Nevada

It took Dex nearly a full minute to figure out where he was.

He knew he was outside, that much was certain. But where, and why? All
he could see were stars and a languid plume of smoke wafting overhead.
But the growing warmth of the flames soon slapped him back to full
consciousness. Alarmed, he now realized that there was a small fire
not too far from his head, practically burning his eyelashes. He
snapped to, springing onto his feet. "What the hell?" he thought. "The
plane!"

Dex's small private jet was slowly burning up. But never mind that.
Where was Alexis?

Covering his face with his shirt, he tried to peer into the cabin. The
smoke, light as it was at this point, still teared his eyes. He
coughed as he tried to wave the smoke away with his hands. But after a
quick search of the cabin and cockpit, he realized that Alexis was
nowhere to be found. He shot back out of the plane before the flames
got too high and was back where he started.

"Alexis! Alexis!" he shouted. No answer. She must have been thrown
clear of the plane when it crash-landed, but where was she?

That is, assuming she was still on the plane when it hit. There was
always the possibility that she fell out in mid-air as the plane went
into its nosedive. But that scenario was too terrible to think of. Dex
shuddered as he started a search outside the plane. In growing
circles, he quickly tore through the weeds and brush of the hillside
where the plane had landed. Eventually he'd find her. He hoped.

His search soon turned up one of Alexis's dainty little shoes. He
scooped up the pump and again shouted her name. Still no answer. That
didn't matter. The shoe at least proved that she was near. He
continued his circles, glad to be getting farther and farther from the
flames and heat of the burning plane.

His luck eventually won out, as about 30 yards from the wreckage,
there lay Alexis, her face and clothes scratched and dirtied, a little
blood on her forehead, but otherwise she didn't look too bad. "Alexis!
Alexis! My God!" Dex shouted as he dropped the shoe and took her into
her arms. Her breathing was belabored and she did not respond.

The Colby Mansion

Sable sat in the library, sighed and poured herself a shot of courage.
With Frankie out of the house it was up to her to play Mistress of the
Manor. And she knew it wouldn't be easy looking after a houseful of
desperate, frightened and confused young Carringtons and Colbys. She
prayed to the portrait of Constance Patterson Colby for luck, then
entered, not too drunkenly, into the grand parlor where her various
relatives alternately sulked, wept and quarreled.

There was Monica, bless her, reading a story to Cathy. Amanda and
Miles stood close together by the fireplace, their wedding day ruined
by all the commotion, wondering what to do next. Sammy Jo sat in an
armchair next to her sleeping twins. The open magazine on her lap
seemed to be far less interesting than the nearest wall. Lauren pouted
in a corner, apparently ready to kill the first person who’d say a word
to her. Joseph sat by himself, obviously stunned over his father's
arrest. And poor cousin Rosalind: senility had gotten the best of her
and she sat on the floor, carrying on conversations with housecats
that didn't exist. The only person who seemed unaffected by any of
this was Sable's own son, Cameron, who sat at the computer happily
blasting space aliens into oblivion.

Sable couldn't find a chair and so stood in the middle of the room,
trying to look authoritative and calm in the midst of so much angst.
She was almost glad, for a moment, that Bliss had gone on home to her
own family. At least that was one less person to worry about. Dana,
Cassie, LB and Jeff had accompanied Adam to the police station.
Wouldn't she love to be a fly on the ceiling while that interrogation
got underway!

In a sick way, she was also glad that some of the other relatives had
left the house, despite the dire emergencies that had instigated their
departures. Blake and Krystle, along with Dominique, had flown with
William back to New Zealand to see about the sudden death of his
mother. What that was all about, Sable could only guess. And so, Sable
was glad that she only had one dozen or so despondent relatives to
deal with now, instead of twice that many.

Still, she had a job to do, unpleasant and unwanted though it may be.
"Lauren," she announced, "I just received a phone call from Jason. It
seems your mother is all right and she'll be coming home shortly."

"Goody for her!" Lauren shrieked and stomped away.

Sable wondered what that was all about, but was hardly surprised,
having already noted the short-fused look on Lauren's face. Well,
Lauren would have to be dealt with later. Now it was Amanda's turn.
She walked right up to her new daughter-in-law and gave her a nice big
hug without a word.

"Sable, Sable," Amanda said. "What are Miles and I supposed to do?
We're thinking of cancelling our honeymoon; there's so much going
on."

"Don't be silly, dear," Sable said. "You must know by now that this
family seems to explode once a year or so. Everything will be all
right."

"Still, I think I should stay," Amanda pressed on.

"That'll be fine!" Rosalind clucked, popping off the floor. "And don't
worry about your tickets; I'll accompany young Miles. Oh, what a
delightful time we'll have together--just the two of us--on the sands
of Nova Scotia!"

"Why not Saskatchewan?" Miles murmured.

"Er, Aunt Rosalind," Amanda said, "I think I can handle my
honeymoon on my own. But thank you for your concern."

"And thank you for your concern," Sable said to Amanda. "But darling,
really, there's nothing you can do here. Please, take your honeymoon
and don't worry about anything. I'll handle it all."

"And there's one or two things I can handle," Rosalind said, smacking
her lips at the sight of Miles.

Miles went white and was quite relieved when the doorbell rang. Before
long, the butler announced an orderly and a nurse, both dressed in
white.

"We've come for Miss Bedford," the orderly said.

"Oh, Hell's bells!" Rosalind spat. "Can't you see we're having a party?"

"But we're here to take you to another party," the nurse said. "It's a
lovely tea party. Just you and all your dolls."

"My dolls?" Rosalind said. "Oh, yes, I can't keep my dolls waiting.
Such lovely things, and so polite. All right, I'll go. Amanda, I'll
cast a spell for all good wishes on your wedding night. Goodbye to you
all! Goodbye!" She spun around and allowed herself to be led to a
waiting car.

"Poor old bird," Sable shook her head. "She's lost her grip. Happy as
a junebug, though, I'd say."

"Aunt Sable," Joseph interrupted innocently, "when is my daddy coming back?"

Sable was momentarily stunned. Oh, what to say to a child at a time
like this? "Joseph, I want you to be a big boy," Sable said, putting
her arms around him. "You see, there's a lot of things that need
straightening out, and he has to go away. We may not see your father
for a long time."

"What do you mean?" Joseph started sobbing. "Where is he going?"

"She means he's going to jail!" Cameron said with glee.

"You shut up!" Joseph said, pulling away from Sable. "My dad's not
going to jail! My dad's better than your dad! Your dad scrapes cow
poop off his boots all day!"

"So?" Cameron teased him. "My mom's so rich she has a Van Gogh hanging
in her bathroom."

"So? My dad's so rich he has 'Vangle' himself hanging in the
bathroom!" Joseph shot back.

"So? He probably hung him there himself!" Cameron played on.

"Stop it! Stop it! Stop it!" Cathy repeated endlessly, covering her
ears. Amanda rushed to her daughter's side while Sammy Jo hid her eyes
in her hands.

"All right, you boys," Sable stood up. "Cameron--you can go to your
room if that's the way you speak to your cousin. And no video games!"

Cameron felt too triumphant to protest, and soon vanished upstairs.

Amanda and Miles, at this point, thought it was high time they got
their sobbing daughter into bed, and realized that Joseph needed some
down time as well. Amanda picked up the tearful girl and took her
upstairs. Miles took Joseph by the hand and said, "Come on, partner;
I'll race you upstairs." The two of them ran off and were gone.

The three remaining women, Sable, Sammy Jo and Monica, all locked eyes
and let out a laugh of relief. "Well, Mother," Monica said, "it's
quite a menagerie you've inherited."

"Like monkeys at a zoo," Sable said. "Oh, why can't they stay little
and quiet like these two?" she said referring to the twin tots, Iris
and Alex, asleep in their dual crib.

"They have their moments," Sammy Jo smiled. Then her face grew cold
again and she stared at the floor.

Sable went to her side. "It's a shame your aunt Krystle had to leave
so suddenly. I wish there was something I could do to help."

"Oh, I need help all right," Sammy Jo said. "But I need answers more
than anything. I can't believe Steven would just run off like that.
Bart Fallmont said he never even heard from Steven. Why would Steven
lie like that? I can't think what could have happened to him."

Somewhere else…

While the Carringtons began to wonder, for the first time since his
disappearance, that something bad had happened to Steven, Steven
himself was running from his captors, hoping they were not after him.
Now that he was finally out of the cabin Craig held him in, he drove
his car to nowhere, without knowing where he was, or how to find
his way to a main road that would take him to the closest city where
he'd be able to contact his family.

He still couldn't believe that Jim was somehow involved with the
kidnapping. At first he thought Jim had located Craig and then came to rescue
Steven, but as long he kept thinking about the latest events he became
more and more certain that somehow, Jim knew that Craig had held him,
and came, maybe to rescue him, when he realized things had gotten out of
control. He only hoped Jim didn't used the last few weeks to get his
dirty hands back on Sammy Jo! The only reason Steven could think of
was the idea to kidnap him.

He stopped the car at the side of the road the second he noticed a
public telephone. "Finally," he told himself, left the car and
prayed to god the phone was working. It was his last chance; he had no
money, no food, no drink, and the gas tank in Craig's car was only half
full.

"Hello? I need to make a collect call, Miss, to Denver, Colorado," Steven told
the representative from the other line and gave her the phone number
to Delta Rho. A few seconds later, the phone in Delta Rho rang.

"Come on, Sammy Jo, pick up the phone, come on!” But Sammy Jo was not
still in California. "I'm sorry, sir, is there another number you want to try?" the lady asked.

"Can you tell me where I'm calling you from? I don't know where I am,
it's kind of an emergency," Steven asked.

"I'm sorry sir, I can't hear you very well," the operator said.

"I said this is an emergency, hello? Hello?" he asked but the static
made it very difficult to hear, and eventually the line went dead.

"Damn phone," Steven hung it angrily and tried to call again, but
there was no tone this time. "Where am I damn it, where am I?”

Now he had no choice. He had to go back to the car and continue
driving to the nowhere, hoping he'll arrive some place before the gas
would run out!

The Colbys mansion, Los Angeles

Adam packed his last suitcase and ordered the first flight back to
Denver Carrington. He knew he would have to be there before Jeff and reduce
the damage that threatened to expose his actions and this time even
send him to prison. He knew that the minute Blake came back
with Krystle, he'd demand Adam tell him the whole truth and wouldn’t
forgive when he found out what Adam did. But he knew it won't be
easy. Blake was already very upset when he first heard Jeff's claims
and said some pretty harsh things to his son, things that Adam
remembered very well…

THE COLBY MANSION, A FEW HOURS EARLIER

"Tell me it's not the truth, Adam. I want to hear what you’re saying is a lie!"
Blake said angrily to his son as Jeff, Dana and Krystle stood beside
him.

"It's not, Father. There is a simple explanation to all that,” Adam
tried but Jeff cut his words.

"Of course there is, it's all one big lie, Blake! He's the one who was
behind that tragedy at the construction site, he's the one who told
John Nance to use the unapproved materials and frame LB! It was
HIS plan the whole time!" Jeff yelled, upset.

"Shut up Jeff, you don't know know what you're talking about!" Adam
raged back.

"Really? So what's that, Adam? Hmm? It's all written here, in black and
white! Is this a mistake too? Is this a misunderstanding too? Answer me!" Jeff
yelled as he threw the papers on the next table. All eyes were focused
on Adam now. It was the first time he was speechless. He looked into
Blake's eyes, not knowing what to say.

"Jeff, please," Blake begged his son in-law and then turned to Adam.

"Father, I can explain everything. It's not how it looks," Adam
said quietly to Blake.

"I pray to god it isn't, Adam. But I can't deal with that right now. I
have another son who needs me now. But we will get to the bottom of
this mess, the minute Krystle and I return from New Zealand," he
said.

"Blake, this is criminal, it's not something you can keep inside the
family this time. I'm sorry, but Adam needs to be arrested for this!"
Jeff didn't give up.

"You bastard, you’re just afraid my father will choose me over you,
that's why you're doing all that!" Adam attacked Jeff.

"Shut up, Adam!" Blake raised his voice.

"Blake, calm down," Krystle was scared to see him so upset.

"Jeff and Adam, you listen to me very carefully. Krystle and I are
flying with William to New Zealand, to find out what happened to Patricia. I don't know how
long we'll be there, but you two better stay away from each other
until then. Therefore, you are not allowed to enter Denver Carrington
until I come back and we settle this!" Blake began.

"Father!" Adam was amazed.

"You heard me, Adam! And you better start thinking what you're going
to tell me when I'm back, because I won't be so merciful then!"

Back to the present

"Damn you, Jeff. Damn you!" Adam knocked on the table as the
door opened and Jeff walked into the room.

"Going somewhere, Adam?" he asked him, satisfied.

"Get out of here, Jeff, I have nothing to say to you!"

"You don't need to say anything, Adam, at least not to me. But I'm sure
Blake and the police will find it very interesting to hear what you
have to say to them," Jeff said coldly.

"You bastard! You promised father you wouldn't go to the police before
he comse back!" Adam went ballistic.

"Oh, so you're afraid now, Adam? I thought you had nothing to hide," Jeff said.

"Don't play games with me, or I’ll--”

"What? What will you do, Adam? Send somebody to kill me like you killed
John Nance?"

"I had nothing to do with that poor bastard’s death! Nothing!"

"Tell that to the cops. Oh, and don't bother trying to use the company jet; I
gave orders not to let you use it anymore," Jeff announced.

"You son of a bitch!" Adam yelled.

"Believe me, Adam. This is only the beginning. I'll see to it that
you spend your entire life at prison, paying for all you did,
to LB and to all those poor workers who died because of you!" Jeff
attacked him. "Finally you are gonna be punished for everything, Adam.
For everything!" he continued and it looked like Adam could explode at any moment.

"You stop that, Jeff!" they suddenly heard a familiar voice behind
them. They both turned around and found Dana standing in the doorway,
"You have no right to accuse Adam with anything until it's proven.
And Blake specifically asked you to sit and wait until he comes back
to get to the bottom of it!" she defended Adam.

"Dana, I know you love him and worry for him. But even you know that
this time he crossed the line, and he will pay for it, big time. I
frankly don't know what you’re still doing with a guy like this," Jeff said and
then walked out, without looking at Adam.

"Thank you, darling," Adam approached Dana and embraced her, "I knew
you'd be on my side," he continued. "And don't worry, I won't
disappoint you. We'll take the first flight back to Denver and solve
this mess; it's all going to be fine, I promise you," he told her.
Dana broke away and turned around.

"No, Adam, it’s not going to be so easy to kiss and make up this time," she said.

"What? What are you talking about? Of course we will. You'll see,
it'll be fine. I know you're confused now and maybe afraid of what’s to come,
but believe me, I'm innocent, honestly, I am!" Adam lied.

"No, Adam. No! Can't you see that? I can't live with your lies
anymore, with the constant fear that something else will happen, that
something new will rock our lives, I can't do that anymore, Adam!"

"Dana, I know it hasn't been easy this last year, but really, it's the last
time, darling. I swear to God, this is the last time," he tried to
touch her but she rejected him.

"Yes it is the last time, Adam. I can't deal with the lying, the
schemes, the fights with Jeff. I can't deal with this anymore, Adam"

"Dana, come on!”

"No, Adam. It's over. I'm going back to Montana in a few hours. I'm
sorry, it's over," she said with tears in her eyes.

"No, no Dana, please don't do that, darling, I love you, you're my
whole life, you can't walk out on me, not you too, Dana. Please!" Adam
begged and tried to stop her from going, but she turned around and
walked out quickly, before the tears could flood her eyes.

"No, Dana, please don't do this," Adam called as the door slammed in
his face and he was left in the room alone, and desperate.

Alexis' penthouse, back in Denver

"Well, here we are," LB said when he and Lauren walked into Alexis'
penthouse. He put Lauren's luggage on the floor and looked around.

"Yap," Lauren replied as she put her bag aside.

"Are you sure you don't want to come back with me to the mansion?" LB asked.

"We've been there already, LB. This is where I want to stay, at least
for now. Besides, I think it's good for me to spend some time with
Grandma. It's really fun to live here with her," she said and he
smiled.

"I'm not so sure Mom agrees with you, but whatever," LB replied.

"Speaking of Grandma, it looks like she's not back yet," Lauren said as
she walked into the living room, "the place looks exactly as we left
it before L.A."

"What did Dex tell you?" he asked.

"That he needs some time alone with her. You think he took her someplace else?"

"Could be. But I'm sure she would have called to inform you if she's
staying out of town for a while," LB said.

"Maybe there's a message on the answering machine," Lauren said and
went to the telephone desk to check for new messages.

You have one new message, the automatic machine announced. Lauren
pressed the speaker’s button and waited to hear the message.

"Mother, this is Steven!" they heard Steven's voice on the speaker.

"God, Steven!" Lauren called and LB hushed her, as they listened to
the rest of the message.

“ I've tried to call you but you weren't home and I don't have much
time. I just called to inform you I`m fine and still working on our
big deal. The negotiation with Sean Rowan exploded, but I'll do
everything I can to save that deal with him, and with Mr. Woo. I'll
keep in touch. Love you."

"What the hell?” Lauren began, "LB, they’re both dead, what is
he talking about?"

"I don't know, but it's very strange. I think he's trying to tell us
something," he said and picked up the phone.

"Who are you calling?" Lauren asked.

"Sammy Jo," LB answered.

Delta Rho

Sammy Jo quickly walked into the ranch as the telephone began ringing.
She took the twins to the living room, left them in their pram and
picked up the phone, hoping it had something to do with Steven.

"Hello?"

"Sammy Jo, it's LB, I hope I didn't interrupt you," he said politely.

"Oh no, that's fine, I just walked in now. What is going on? Is Fallon
okay?" she wondered why he called. They just said goodbye in the
airport after coming home together from L.A. with the rest of the
family, and Sammy Jo wondered if something happened, after all Fallon
was still at the hospital.

"No, mother is fine as far as I know. This is about Steven," LB said.

"Steven? You heard something from him?" Sammy Jo asked horrified.

"Well Lauren and I just walked into the penthouse. Grandma is not
here, so we check for new messages. The only message was from Steven.
He left a message saying he's fine and still trying to work on
some deal with Sean Rowan and Mr. Woo!”

"What?" Sammy Jo asked shocked.

"That is how we reacted too. Do you have any idea if Grandma worked on
something concerning those two?" LB asked as Lauren stood aside him,
listening to the conversation.

"No, no, I mean, I can't think of any reason why they'd be working on
something to do with two dead guys," Sammy Jo said worried, "unless
Steven's trying to tell us something," Sammy Jo said.

"That's exactly what we thought," LB said.

"My god, something’s happened to him. I should have known that the
second Bart showed up at the wedding," Sammy Jo said. "How did he
sound?"

"Very serious. I don't want to scare you, Sammy Jo. But we have to go
to the police with this; it looks like something bad’s happened to him!”
LB told her.

Mountains of Nevada

Alexis' ears were more than ringing. She felt as if somebody had
jammed her head into the Liberty Bell and pounded it with a
sledgehammer. All she could feel was Dex alternately rubbing her upper
chest and trying soooo damn hard to give her mouth-to-mouth. She
sputtered to consciousness. "Dex, what the hell are you doing? Stop
it!" she gasped.

Dex's expression was one more of surprise than disgust. Only conscious
for a moment and she was already back to her old bitchery. "I'm trying
to save your life, if that's okay with you," Dex said, almost sorry he
had bothered with her in the first place.

"I'm just peachy!" Alexis snapped. "Just peachy for a person who's
barely survived one hell of a landing! Who do you think you are,
crash-landing the plane like that?" she thundered illogically.

"I'll remind her Highness that it was she who caused the damn plane to
dive in the first place!"

"You're being ridiculous. You did this on purpose just to get me
alone," she ambled on, brushing the dust from her dress and looking
around for her other shoe. "You dragged me from my own daughter's
wedding!”

"Alexis, of all the damn stupid things you've ever said to me, that's
among the top five. I am not in the habit of staging plane wrecks just
to beat time with you. Now either shut up or give me your cellphone
because it might be nice to alert the authorities about all this."

"Fine, Dex," she said, fumbling around in her purse. "And be sure they
send out separate search and rescue teams, because I'll not let them
strap me into another moving vehicle with you!"

Dex completely ignored her words as she handed him her phone. He tried
to get a signal but it was no use; nothing but shrill static greeted
his efforts. "Forgot to pay Verizon, did you, Alexis?"

"There's nothing wrong with the phone, you idiot," she reponded. "You
landed us in the middle of nowhere. There's no service out here,
apparently. Where the hell are we, anyway?"

"Somewhere in Nevada, I'd assume," Dex said. "We'd just crossed the
state line when we--"

"Nevada!" Alexis gasped. "Dex, that means hundreds of miles of empty
desert! We could be stranded here for days!"

Dex didn't doubt her word, as he finally took the time to gaze about
him and try to pinpoint their location. According to his wristwatch it
was early evening but the stars shone above. He scanned the horizon
for the telltale glow of a nearby city, but could see none. The only
light was the flickering flames of his late private plane.

"Yes, you're right, Alexis. We could be stranded for days."

Los Angeles

"Fallon!" Sable embraced Fallon as she came back from the hospital.
Jeff walked into the living room after his wife and joined the two
Women."Hw are you dear?Feling better?"

"Much better, thank you. I'm just so sorry I ruined the wedding," she
said and Sable laughed.

"Believe me dear, you are the last one who ruined that wedding, if at
all," Sable replied and stared at Jeff, who wasn't smiling.

"Yes, Jeff told me about the incident with Adam. And god, I do hope
Patricia is fine," she added. "It's no secret I didn't like her,
but I surely didn't wish her to die," Fallon added.

"Well Blake said he’ll call us as soon as he has some news," Jeff interfered.

"Poor Blake. He had to leave everything so suddenly. And William, he was
really upset to hear what the private detective found," Sable said,
"Well at least you're fine, Fallon. you had us all worried about
you," Sable continued.

"I know, I'm sorry, it was just the humidity, I guess," Fallon lied. She
remembered very well why she passed out. It wasn't the weather, not at
all.

"The most important thing now is that you rest until we're ready
to go back to Denver," Jeff told his wife.

"What do you mean ready? I'm ready now, Jeff. I'm not staying here, we
have a lot of things to settle back home," Fallon announced.

"You leave that to me. You heard what the doctor said, you should rest until…”

"No, Jeff. I am going back home, with you or without you. I have
nothing to do here, with all due respect to your family," Fallon said
determined.

"So I guess I'm staying here alone," Sable suddenly said. Jeff and
Fallon looked at her and noticed the sadness in her eyes.

"So it's final then? You're not coming back to Denver?" Jeff asked his aunt.

"No, Jeff. I think it would be better for me to stay away from that
place for the time being, at least until I know what I'm going to
do with my life," she added, as Fallon's cellphone began ringing. She
pulled her cell from her purse and opened it.

"Fallon, it's Zorelli!" John Zorelli was heard from the other line.

"Thank god! What is going on?"

"You're asking me? You're the one who disappeared from me all of a
sudden. I've tried to call you all day long!" he answered.

"I know, I was in the hospital, don't ask, it's a long story. What's
new? How is Roman?" she asked and Sable and Jeff exchanged looks.

"I hope you are sitting; the man is dead. He was murdered," he announced.

"What?" Fallon was shocked.

"I can't talk too much, I just need you and the rest of the family to
be very cautions. I'm after his murderer so I might not be available
for the next few days. Any way you be cautious and take care, he can
be very dangerous. I'll call the moment I know more. Take care!"
he then hung up.

"What is going on, Fallon?" Jeff asked his wife.

"How is Roman?" Sable asked as well.

"He was murdered," Fallon told them, still stunned herself.

Denver Carrington—Kevin Laird’s office

Kevin and Susie sat tensely in his office. They had little actual work to complete, but plenty of suspense to worry over. “She has to call soon,” Kevin said quietly, hardly thinking. “She just has to.”

“She will, Kevin,” Susie said. Her usual flirtatious nature was subdued by the tense mood of the past few days. “I’m sure she’s all right. In fact, what time is it in Israel right now? Maybe she’s just in bed. Safe. Asleep!”

“Well, if she’d call we’d find out,” Kevin persisted.

Susie decided it was time to get ahead of the situation. “Well, maybe it’s time we told the Carringtons, because if something did happen to her—“

“I know,  know,” Kevin said. “But we’re not even sure we’re right about Anne being a murderer. No sense worrying the entire family before we know something for sure. Besides, they’ve got more than enough on their minds right now, from what I’ve heard.”

Suddenly the phone rang. Could it be? Kevin picked it up. “Danny, thank God, it’s you!” Kevin shouted before Danny could get much of a word in. “Where is she? How is she?”

“Whoa, simmer down,” Danny said. “She is here, and I just phoned to tell you that she had a little accident but she’s all right now.”

Kevin’s heart sank as Danny filled in the details. He damned himself for letting her go off by herself in the first place. It was quite a while before Danny could calm him down enough for him to continue.

“But why was she here in the first place?” Danny asked. “Did she even tell you?”

Kevin’s concern for her well-being gripped his judgment. Danny couldn’t be told too much. That could put both him and Krystina in danger. Whether or not it was true, he couldn’t trust Danny to keep quiet to Ashley about her own mother! No, the theory about Anne was Krystina’s card to play, and it was better to let her play it, when she’d get the chance. For now, Kevin thought he’d better do a quick cover-up until he was certain Krystina would be all right. “I’m not exactly sure, Danny,” Kevin lied. “She must have had something to tell you, but I’m sure she’ll tell you as soon as she gets her memory back.”

“I guess you’re right. How’s my grandfather?” Danny changed the subject. “Did he return from the wedding all right?”

“Lord, no, that’s another story!” Kevin said. “Seems that what’s-her-name, William’s mom is dead. He, Krystle and Dominique went off to New Zealand to see what’s going on.”

“Patricia is dead?” Danny was stunned. “God, I barely knew her but that’s terrible.”

The thought of Patricia’s death regenerated Kevin’s concern for Krystina. “Listen, Danny. No matter what’s going on over there in Israel, you keep an eye on your aunt, you hear? In fact, maybe I’d better get myself over there.”

“Kevin, it’s all under control, seriously!” Danny almost laughed. “They’ve got good hospitals in Israel. There’s nothing to worry about!”

Kevin again decided to back down. If he was too eager, then he might tip Danny off to the larger issue. “All right, I trust you, Danny,” he conceded. “But remember what I said, you hear?”

The rest of the conversation was just filler until Kevin could get off the line and confer with Susie. “Okay, I heard enough, Kevin” she said. “Listen, I don’t mind telling you that I’m suspicious of Krystina’s little well-timed ‘accident.’ If that Ashley’s up to something…”

“You’re right,” Kevin agreed. “We have to tell the Carringtons everything.”

Jerusalem, Israel

Doctor Levy finished checking Krystina and smiled. "Looks like you're
feeling better," he said, and Krystina nodded.

"So it means I can go back home?" he asked.

"Well I'm not sure which home you mean," he smiled again, "it's
still better that you'll stay in Israel for the new few days. I'm sure
Rebecca my wife will find a room for you until you'll be ready to go
back to America," he added.

"Thank you. But the most important thing now is that I'll leave.
I still don't know why I came here, but one thing is for sure, I didn't
intend to spend my time in a hospital," Krystina said smiling.

"I'm sure you didn't," the doctor said. None of them saw Ashley who
stood outside and listened to their conversation. "Well, let's wait
until afternoon to see if there's change in your condition. If we'll
see you're progressing, we'll let you out," he promised.

"Thank you, doctor," Krystina smiled. He nodded and walked out.

"Ran," Ashley turned to him before he walked into the corridor, "how is she?"

"Oh, better. Much much better, I think we can let her out this
afternoon," he said.

"So fast?"

"Well it's only a minor concussion. She can take some rest at our place
until she'll decide what she want to do, continue her trip here or go
back to the U.S," he said.

"Actually, I need a favor, Ran. I know it'll sound strange, but I
think it will be better if Krystina stays here at the hospital
for a few more days," Ashley said. Ran looked at her confused.

"I don't get that," Ran said, "Is that a problem?"

"Just trust me. I'm not sure it's a good idea to let her be with Danny
and I in the same house. I know it sounds weird, but there is a reason
why I'm asking you to do this. Can you please wait a few days?"

"I don't know, Ashley. It is my duty and job to tell my patient the
truth," he said.

"Just one day. That's all I'm asking. One day."

Ran stopped for a moment and thought. "Okay, one day. Not more," he
said eventually.

"Thank you, you are the best!" she hugged him. He hugged her back and
then went to check his other patients. Ashley walked into one of the
waiting rooms, pulled out her cellphone and dialed a number.

Somewhere outside Denver

Anne opened her cell phone and answered the call. "Ashley!" she called
happily, "Thank god, I was so worried about you!" she said and looked
at Jim who now lay in the same bed Steven was chained to, just a few
hours ago, suffering from pain and barely able to speak.

"You what? What do you mean? So she found out after all, I see. Well,
I'm glad you learned something from your mother, honey. Finally you're
doing the right thing," Anne said.

"The only reason I called you, Mother, is to let you know you're in
danger, that's all, so don't start with ‘I told you so’ now, okay?"
Ashley replied.

“Alright, alright. I'm just trying to think what we should do now,"

"What YOU should do. If the attorney knows what Krystina found out it
could be very risky for you, Mother. It'll expose you once and for all!
And this is the last thing I want to happen, not now that Danny and
I are finally back together," Ashley told her mother.

"Don't worry darling, I'll take care of that Kevin boy," Anne assured her.

"Don't do anything stupid, Mother," Ashley said.

"Trust me, sweetheart. I'll take care of everything. You just make sure
that rat Krystina doesn’t talk to him."

"She’ll eventually remember what she found out, Mother," Ashley said.

"And that's why you should make sure she's not talking to anybody,
Ashley. I'm counting on you, one word from her and we'll lose it all."

"I know, I just--"

"I have to hung up now, Ashley. You keep me updated, and don't worry,
everything will be fine," Anne said and hung up, then approached to
Jim's bed and looked at him. "I have to run some errands, Jimmy.
I'll bring some more bandages and sedatives. Anything else that
you need?"

"Hospital, Anne. Hospital.." Jim barely could say.

"I'm sorry, that is the one thing I can't do for you. We'll just have
to find another way. Hang on," she said and then walked out, leaving
him injured, without medical treatment.

The Colby Mansion

Monica sat at her dresser with her hair up in a towel. She wished that somehow her shower could have washed away all the excitement of the last two days but knew that was silly. Still, things were calmer now that most of the relatives had gone home. She wondered what her new routine would be now that things were supposedly back to normal.

A light rap on the door preceded her mother’s smiling face peering from behind the doorframe. Sable entered without asking, without needing to ask. She had on her favorite satin nightgown with a soft robe covering it. In one hand she held a brandy and with the other she closed the door behind her.

Monica had no words but decided it was high time she gave her mother a hug. They both needed it. They were both relieved now that all the commotion from the wedding seemed to have died down.

“Oh, Mother, Mother,” Monica sighed as she sat back down. “When will this family ever just learn to relax, hmm? God bless Miles and Amanda, but that wedding was…”

“I know, dear,” Sable replied. “But it’s all over. And thank heavens that we finally convinced them to take their honeymoon as scheduled. After all is said and done, those are the only two that came out of that wedding unscathed.”

”You’re talking about yourself, aren’t you?” Monica let out a brief smile. “What with you and Francesca reliving your past.”

“For which, of course, I am not the slightest bit embarrassed,” Sable said and they both started laughing. “Perhaps the whole thing happened only for old time’s sake.”

“Okay, I realize that, Mother,” Monica said and grew a little more serious. “But Mother, what’s to stop it from happening again? The tension between you two has always been nothing short of outrageous. Maybe you…” Her voice trailed off but Sable could more easily continue the sentence.

”Maybe I should never have returned to Los Angeles? Perhaps you’re right. I’m sure if it, myself. And anyway, I only left Denver because of Roman in the first place, and now that he’s gone...”

“It’s just that I’m worried about everyone,” Monica continued. “I know there’s a lot of unresolved baggage between you, Francesca and Jason, but I’m not sure it can ever really be resolved.”

“So you think I should go back to Denver?” Sable said, the question already answered in her mind.

“I think you should go back,” Monica agreed reluctantly.

Sable wasn’t even of a mind to protest. She knew it was true. Before she could continue, however, the maid knocked on the door with a package. Sable thankfully took it and opened it on Monica’s bed.

“Oh my God. This can’t be!” she said as she looked into the box.

The Mountains of Nevada, same night

Alexis sat dumbly before the roaring campfire. It wasn't exactly
difficult to light a fire in these parts; all one had to do was touch
a log to one's burning plane and there you are. Despite the heat of
the fire she shuddered, half out of fear and half out of concern for
her immediate future.

Luckily for Dex, the fire in the plane wasn't as bad as he'd
previously thought. He'd managed to grab a fire extinguisher from
beside the door and fight his way through the rest of the plane. All
in all, it was probably the feeblest plane crash he'd ever walked away
from.

Exhausted, Dex slumped down beside his ex-ex-wife and shut his eyes
tight. Alexis made no response, neither verbally nor physically. She
merely allowed him to enjoy the company of her near presence and left
it at that. Dex eventually laid his head back on the ground, leaving
Alexis sitting very much alone and wondering whether she'd eat again
anytime soon.

It wasn't long before her favorite ex-husband suddenly asserted himself,
grabbing her around the waist and pulling her down to the ground
beside him. "Dex, what the hell are you trying to do to me now?" she
protested.

"Shut up and come here," he answered, crushing her against his chest.

"Dex, you let go of me, I mean it!" she shouted. Her further protests
went ignored, as Dex slowly and softly began carressing her neck,
experiencing the warmth of her shoulders. He pulled her face closer
and kissed her.

Alexis made no comment, but Dex thought he could almost see tears
forming in her eyes. Despite all her bluster, Alexis was now a very
frightened and vulnerable woman. This he understood better than she.
Even the most powerful woman in America was nothing without her phone,
her fax machine, her contacts and her money. But there was one thing
she did still have: Dex Dexter. The second kiss met with even less
resistance.

"I hate you, Dex Dexter," Alexis murmured, gaining strength herself
from the older, yet still powerful muscles in his arms.

"I hate you, too," Dex said. They embraced as the flames flickered
into the night.

The Carrington Mansion – the next day

"Mom, dad!" LB welcomed Fallon and Jeff when they came back to the
mansion. Fallon hugged her son and they all walked into the living
room, to find Sammy Jo there, listening to Steven's message over and over
again.

"Sammy Jo," Fallon called and her former sister in-law turned around
and began to cry as she hugged her, "LB updated us. Any news?" she asked.

"No. I talked to Sgt. Friedman last night; he promised to start
searching for him, but so far they didn't come up with anything
specific," she said.

"They are still trying to use the answering machine message to find out where
he was calling from," LB explained.

"And even so, it's not been three days. Who knows what could have
happened to him," Sammy Jo said desperate.

"I'll try to talk to Friedman again. But it is strange," Jeff said.

"Friedman asked us to come up with a list of people who hated Steven, or
had unfinished business with him, but I can't think of anyone!"
Sammy Jo said, "and even if so, why anybody will want to hold Steven?
I mean, it's already been weeks since he left, and nobody called us for ransom. I don't know what to think anymore, why would anyone kidnap
Steven?" Sammy Jo asked crying.

"It has to be someone who have a lot to earn if-- " Fallon began and
then stopped suddenly, "oh god, I think I'm on to something here! Jim
Martinez!"

"Jim? Why Jim would do anything to Steven?" LB asked naively.

"He wanted Sammy Jo for himself the whole time, and he never accepted
the fact you two got married," Fallon called excited.

"I've tried to call him already last night, but he didn't answer. I
don't know. I don't think Jim would do anything to Steven. He's a
doctor for god’s sake!" Sammy Jo said.

"Yes, and he's also a man. I think you should talk to Ashley or her
mother. Maybe they know where he is," Fallon said.

"But Ashley is in Israel, with Danny," LB said.

"And Danny… he doesn't know anything about this!” she said.

Jerusalem, Israel

Danny finished dressing and was about to walk out his room as Ashley
showed up in the doorway.

"There you are, where have you been?" he asked her.

"Oh, I went to buy some things at the market, to Rebecca," she said,
"what about you? I’m gone two minutes and you're running away?"
she asked as she walked into the room and closed the door behind her.

"Oh, I was about to go to the hospital, to visit Krystina," he explained.

"What, now?" Ashley tried to improvise something.

"Yes, wanna come with me?"

"No, no… I mean yes, I want to, but not now; we can't go now!" she called.

"What? Why not?"

"Because it's not visiting hours now silly, she's resting," Ashley said.

"But it's almost four o'clock, Ash," Danny said, not understating what
was going on with her.

"Danny, it's not America here, you know. Everything is different here.
It's time now for doctors’ rounds!"

"Oh, really? I didn't know," Danny said.

"I have an idea, why don't we rest ourselves a little bit and then go check on her, at the right time, hmm? What do you say,
lover?" she winked to him and before Danny could answer she pushed him
to the bed and began kissing him.

Denver Carrington  

The constant whir of Adam’s shredder was pretty much the only sound to be heard from his office. Document after document went into its blades; anything and everything that could possibly link Adam to the truth about Nance. There wasn’t much, really, but Adam couldn’t take any chances, not with Jeff breathing down his neck.

“What am I doing, what am I doing,” he said to himself in desperation. He of course had never allowed Jeff to see him sweat all the time Jeff was alternately interrogating him or pounding the snot out of him. But Adam could never show weakness to the likes of Jeff Colby. 

One last piece of paper went into the shredder, and that was that. There was nothing left to shred. Adam sat back in his desk wondering what further horrors he’d be subjected to, not once letting the entire affair weigh on his conscience.

He tried to clear his mind and tried very hard to relax for a change, but his blood pressure seemed not to cooperate. He closed his eyes, but his pulse continued to pound; there seemed no relief in sight. Could guilt be getting the best of him after all?

His eyes still shut, he thought he could tell the room growing brighter. He popped his eyes open. In front of him, the room was illuminated with a soft glow that seemed to grow more solid. It slowly took the form of a beautiful dark-haired woman.

“K-Kirby?” Adam said to the figure. 

“Adam,” the vision said, with a sly, understanding smile on its face, “what have you done now?”

“Oh God, Kirby, I never wanted you to know.”

“I’m sorry, Adam, few things are hidden from me, anymore. Unfortunately.”

“Please, Kirby, you have to understand—“ Adam began to beg.

“Of course I understand, Adam. I understand you better than anyone who ever lived. But that’s not why I’m here. I’m here to warn you, Adam. You better come clean. Things are quickly falling into place that will utterly ruin you if you don’t atone.”

“Kirby, what things? What are you talking about?”

“Adam, there’s still a slight chance for you to redeem yourself, but only just. You’d better clean up your mess right now, or you’re going to get swept up in a much, much bigger mess. That’s all I can say.”

”Kirby? I miss you.”

“And I miss you, Adam. You naughty boy.”

With that, the vision of Kirby faded away, leaving Adam to ponder her words.

The Carrington Mansion – that evening

“Cecil Colby. No way. I was either dreaming, or losing my mind again,” Fallon said to herself. She pulled the sleeves of her sweater straight and wondered if she dare tell Jeff what she thought she saw. Clearly, Frankie and Jason hadn’t mentioned a thing to him or else he’d probably have had her locked away in the funny farm by now. “No, I’d better just keep my mouth shut until I know for sure what happened back there,” she decided.

The phone rang and distracted Fallon away from her thoughts. “Blake?” she said into the receiver. “Daddy, how are things in New Zealand?”

“We’re fine, darling,” Blake assured her. “Listen, it’s all true. Patricia died in a car accident. Poor William identified the body and well, he’s making the arrangements himself. I don’t know when we’ll be home.”

Fallon wondered at this point whether her dear, but not entirely stable Uncle Ben had anything to do with Patricia’s sudden death, but kept quiet for now. Her thoughts turned back to Blake’s feelings.

“I’m very sorry, Daddy,” Fallon said. “I know William and I don’t see eye-to-eye on, well, on anything, but you can tell him I do feel for him.”

“Of course I’ll tell him. Now have you heard from Krystina?”

“No, but I’m sure she’s on her way back home by now,” Fallon said flatly, having almost forgotten about Krystina’s mad escapade halfway around the world.

After a few more exchanges, Fallon hung up the phone and sat back in her chair. Why did Krystina go to Germany and Israel in the first place? Of course, the only person who really knew what was going on these days with Krystina was Kevin Laird, so she called him.

“Yes, Fallon, I suppose I do have a few things to tell your family,” Kevin said. “Susie and I will be right over.”

Delta Rho

Sammy Jo tried to call Jim's apartment over and over again, but there
was no answer. His cell phone was close, and the nurse who answered to
her at the hospital said it's his day off today.

"Where are you, Jim, I need your help," she talked to herself and
dialed the police.
"Sammy Jo Reece for Sergeant Hartford, please," she told the duty officer.

"He's not in the station miss, and we already informed him you called.
In the minute he'll have new information he'll contact you Mrs.
Reece," the man said and hung up.

"Damn," Sammy Jo called and closed the phone. She was about to dial
another number when she heard a car parking outside.  She went to the
entrance, opened the door and couldn't believe it: Steven showed up in
front of her, dirty and paled.

"Sammy Jo…" he whispered and then collapsed in her arms.

The Carrington Mansion

“Let’s face it, Kevin, there’s no choice. We have to tell the family,” Susie said as their car sped on.

“I know, I know, but how to tell them without adding to their worries,” Kevin said.

“How to tell them?” Susie laughed. “Did that sentence come from Kevin Laird, one of the smoothest talkers in courtrooms today?”

“I am not going into a courtroom, Susie,” Kevin said, “I’m trying to tell a family not to worry about a relative, when in fact, they should be damn worried. And now I’m worried because the estate is just around the corner.”

Susie looked over at the entrance to the grand Carrington estate. In the moonlight, she could just barely see through the gate at the breathtaking grounds and beautiful landscaping that lay out before her. She couldn’t wait to see it up close, even though it was dark.

Kevin was just about to pull into the gates when another car darted out of nowhere, its headlights flaring into Susie’s eyes. She never had a chance to even scream.

Somewhere…

He sat behind his big desk, scattered photos of his enemies covering every edge. “So many of them these days,” Cecil Colby said. “Carringtons, Colbys, in-laws, cousins, children, grandchildren, bastards. And one the biggest bastard of them all,” he said, holding a photo of Blake closer for a better look. “Ah, Blake, my old sparring partner. What a shock it’s going to be for you, when you realize that I’m now dealing with you up close and personal. How’s your heart these days, Blake? Can it withstand the return of an old friend from beyond the grave?’

The phone then rang and Cecil picked it up. “This is me, Mr. Colby. The problem is taken care of. Yes, to both of them.”

“Very good,” Cecil said. “Now it’s time for some real action, and this time I’ll handle it myself.”

He hung up and continued poring over his pictures, completely oblivious to the sight of John Zorelli outside, looking at him through the window.