Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 240,157 times)

[heroicmuse]

Week 396 - 1
Paige strode purposefully to the front of the room, where Bev was sitting with her attorney. “Sorry to interrupt,” she said. “But there’s something you need to know.”

“Uh oh,” Bev said. “What’s Cole done now?”

“Tried to intimidate me,” Paige said. “I’m not the scared little girl I was when he and Jeff kidnapped us, so it won’t work. But he did imply that something would happen to Mariposa if I testified on your behalf.”

“Oh my God,” Bev said. “You can’t testify. I understand.”

“I didn’t say that,” Paige said. “I”m going to testify all right. I’ve already called Rafe and asked him to get us a security detail. Cole isn’t going to get away with this. But I thought your lawyer, and the judge, might want to know.”

Berger nodded. “What exactly did Cole say?”

Paige’s eyes narrowed. “First he said that everyone knows Bev was drunk at my wedding. Then when I said I knew he had he drugged he said that the wedding was beautiful and so was my daughter and that he wouldn’t want anything to ruin that.”

“So he never directly threatened you?”

“I knew what he meant,” Paige said, “and so does anyone who’s ever watched Law & Order: Organized Crime.”

“You and I know that,” Berger said, “but I’m not sure the judge will agree. I will let her know once the trial begins anyway.” He patted Paige’s hand. “Go sit down. The judge is about to come in.”

Paige slid into her seat just before the bailiff announced, “All rise for the honorable Judge Linda Brooks.”

She rose with everyone else. Alison slipped in next to her as they sat down and whispered, “I’m covering the trial. If anyone asks, JJ didn’t tell me anything.”

Paige nodded slightly, but she didn’t like this one bit. She leaned forward as the bailiff said, “Walters vs. Hines, the matter of the custody of the minor Mason Walters.”

The judge looked over the case file, then pushed her glasses down. Paige thought she looked awfully strict, almost like the nuns in Catholic school. The judge said, “I understand the minor resides with Ms. Walters and Mr. Hines is petitioning the court for custody. As the petitioner, Mr. Hines has the right to state his case first. Is he here today?”

“Yes, your Honor,” Cole said, rising.

“Very good. Step forward and bailiff, swear him in so that he can make his statement.”


Allie turned toward Ruby, frowning. “Excuse me, but who are you?”

“I’m Ruby,” Ruby said. “We don’t know each other yet. But you looked like you could use a friend, so…”

“And I’m a junior, or will be after today,” Allie said, “and you look like you belong in the middle school.”

“Rude,” Ruby said. “Whatever. You can put me down because I’m younger than you if you want, but you’ll miss the chance of a lifetime if you do.”

Allie crossed her arms. “What chance is that?”

“To be part of a really cool group,” Ruby said, “one that doesn’t leave you out when someone better comes along.”

Allie stiffened. Something felt very wrong about this. “What group is that?”

“Just a group of friends,” Ruby said. She knew better than to say the Fire Lions’ name this early. “Meet me at Salem Pizza and Pasta after school if you want to know more.” She turned and walked away.

Allie stared after her, a puzzled look on her face.


Mrs. MacGregor stared at Chanel.

Chanel looked away. “Say something. Please. Even if what you have to say is that you’re kicking me out of here - “

“No,” Mrs. MacGregor said. “I’d be within my rights to do that. This home is only supposed to be for girls who committed non-violent crimes, drug crimes and the like. Not murderers. But in the short time I’ve known you, I’ve seen a deeply remorseful young woman who wants to turn her life around, a young woman who has been bullied and blackmailed by the police into doing things that she does not want to do and who is trying to protect herself from getting sucked back into bad choices. Besides, the world at large does not know about what you did to Marcel Simmons and I couldn’t kick you out without revealing a secret that is not mine to reveal.”

“So I can stay? Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

“On one condition,” Mrs. MacGregor said. “I want to hear the whole story of why you did such a violent, terrible thing. And by whole story, I don’t mean whatever version you told the police that allowed them to cut a deal with you. I mean the truth. So out with it. Why did you shoot Marcel Simmons in the back?”

Chanel’s face trembled. “Because of what he did to me! I was exactly the kind of girl scumbags like him recruit. Dropped out at 14, ran away from my seventh foster home after the woman beat me, drifting around Salem with no job and no purpose. At first he was great. He gave me food and a safe place to stay. But then I found out after the fact there were conditions.” Chanel blinked back tears.

“Conditions?” Mrs. MacGregor said softly. “What kind of conditions?”

“The kind I can’t talk about,” Chanel said. “There were two kinds. Sometimes I had to run drugs for him or do other things he didn’t want to get his hands dirty with. But other times…” She shook her head. “He said I remind him of some girl named Hannah he let get away and he wasn’t making the same mistake twice. He’d give me drugs, enough so I was totally out of it, and once we were good and high he’d call me into his bed. I never wanted to do it but I’d lay awake waiting for him, how screwed up is that?” Chanel blinked back tears. “I couldn’t say no. Not to the drugs and not to what he wanted to do with my body. Not when he was paying for my room and board and I’d be out on the street in a heartbeat. He liked it rough, too. He’d tie me up and make me pretend he’d kidnapped me, weird crap like that. And like I said, I had to do what he wanted or I’d lose everything.”

Mrs. MacGregor nodded. “Are you saying he raped you?”

“It wasn’t exactly rape. I didn’t say No. But I didn’t say yes either. I just did what I had to so I could stay alive.” Chanel blinked hard. “After he was arrested, I got a call from his sister Nat. Now, this has to stay between us, cause if she found out I told her secret she’ll kill me, and I mean that literally.”

Mrs. MacGregor nodded. “Your secret is safe with me. I promise.”

“All right then. Nat was Marcel’s sister, but I guess he touched her the same way he touched me cause she called me up and she told me to kill him. She said the only way any of us was ever gonna be rid of him is if someone shot him on the way into court. She told me where the gun was and what to do with it afterward.”

“I remember the case. A young couple was initially accused and after they were proven to have nothing to do with it, the trail went cold quickly.”

Chanel nodded. “Only person I told was some reporter who agreed to keep my name out of it. To add insult to injury, the Hannah who got accused with her boyfriend… she’s the one Marcel pretended to make love to every time he touched me.” She sighed. “Anyway, that’s why I came back early. Abe Carver was at the courthouse talking about Marcel’s case and how he hopes to bring the killer to justice soon and I was so afraid he was after me I bolted.”

“I see. Well, I’m glad you told me the truth.”

“Me too.” Chanel wriggled. “You’re sure you don’t want to kick me out?”

“I don’t. But this cannot go unpunished either.”

“What are you going to do to me?”

“It’s not what I’m going to do to you. It’s what you did to yourself. I understand the reasons and that you felt you had no choice, but you could have gotten help earlier and you chose not to.” As Chanel started to reply, Mrs. MacGregor held up her hand. “I’m sure your reasons made sense to you at the time. But here’s what we need to do. We’re going to march right back to that lawyer and tell him the truth and let him decide the best way to handle it.”


Molly flattened herself against a wall as Chanel and Mrs. MacGregor came out of the room. As soon as they were gone she said to herself, “So. That girl has secrets, and I know them. The only question now is, what am I going to make her do in exchange for my silence?"

[André DiMera]

Glad Paige told Bev and Berger what Cole said. Hopefully the judge won’t believe Cole.

I hope Allie doesn’t actually go to meet Ruby.

So glad Chanel told Mrs. MacGregor everything! Hopefully she’ll be able to help.

Ugh, of course Molly is gonna use this to her advantage!

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

Berger didn't seem to think Cole's threat was going to be taken seriously but I'm glad Paige isn't shrinking from this.

Nat could be in big trouble.

I'm hoping Allie doesn't meet up with Ruby, or that she tells someone like Rafe before going.

[heroicmuse]

Week 396 - 2
“Mr. Kiriakis is getting ready for a big trial that starts this afternoon,” the receptionist told Mrs. MacGregor. “If you really can’t wait, I can see if Mr. Jennings is available.”

“Fine,” Mrs. MacGregor said. “But someone needs to see us right away. It’s very important.”

“I understand,” the receptionist said. “I’ll see what I can do.”

Mrs. MacGregor nodded slightly. She sat down, but Chanel paced back and forth instead.

“Chanel,” Mrs. MacGregor said. “Stop wearing out the attorney’s carpet. They know we’re here; this’ll be resolved soon.”

“I can’t sit still,” Chanel said. “What if he says the only way to resolve this is for me to fess up and go to jail? I wish I could take it back, I really do. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what I did. I took a life! How am I supposed to get past that?”

Mrs. MacGregor patted the seat next to her. Chanel sighed and came over. Mrs. MacGregor put her arm around her and said, “First of all, don’t talk too loudly about that. We have confidentiality once we get in the lawyer’s office, but anyone could be listening out here. And just as importantly, there were some extenuating circumstances, and I am sure that this attorney will be able to help you figure out what your options are.”

“I hope so,” Chanel said. “I just don’t know if there’s any solution besides prison and it’s gonna be real hard to turn things around from in there. If I even survive.” She blinked hard. “But you see why I couldn’t have Olive Miller coming to our home. She’d realize who I was in half a second and then it’d be game over for me.”

“I told you, ordinarily we don’t accept violent criminals in our home. Of course, it is partially up to the judge, but I don’t think I’d want someone like that woman terrorizing the rest of you girls. And if the judge contacts me to ask if we’d take her, that’s what I’d say. So don’t you worry about that, all right?”

Chanel nodded. All of a sudden she wished she had a mom to lean on. “When I came to the home, did they tell you anything about who my birth mom was?” she asked. “I don’t know why I care, but she’s been on my mind lately.”

“My guess is now that your brain’s not pumped full of drugs, you’re starting to feel like something’s missing because you don’t know who she is. I wish I had answers for you. I don’t. I know your foster home history, but if anyone ever knew who your birth mother was, they didn’t share it with anyone else.”

“Thanks anyway. It was a long shot.” Chanel sighed. “She’s probably glad she gave me up. Who’d want a girl like me anyway?”

“Lots of people would,” Mrs. MacGregor said. “You might not have a birth mom, but I’m sure I am not the only one who is willing to love you the way your mother should have.”

Chanel leaned on her unhappily but said nothing. The receptionist said, “Excuse me. Mr. Jennings will see you now.”

“Come on,” Mrs. MacGregor said. Chanel got up nervously and followed her to Aiden’s office.


Beth whispered to Hannah, “You think I have time to make a phone call?”

Hannah frowned. “Judge’ll be here any second, if it can wait, I would. Who is that, anyway?”

The bailiff announced the judge’s arrival just then. “All rise for the honorable Judge Henry B Walston.”

“Good,” Hannah whispered as they stood. “This judge’s a keeper. He’s the one who took me off probation.”

Beth nodded, but there was a nervous look in her eye as Olive Miller was escorted into the room in handcuffs.


Orpheus stood. “Your Honor,” he said, “if I might speak for my client for a moment, it has been a long six and a half years since his son was born. As a father myself, I can’t imagine anything more horrific than being separated from your child, not even being informed he was alive. The only thing worse is if your wife… excuse me, I think these days they say partner, don’t they… anyway, if she was killed and your children had no memories of her.” He squeezed his eyes shut.

“Get to the point, please, Mr. Piper,” the judge said, “and then please allow your client to speak as well.”

“Of course.” Orpheus sighed. “As I was saying, my client has been separated from his child from before birth, and this woman over here didn’t even want him to know that he was a father, never mind let him have contact with his son. That’s just not right and I really hope you’ll make the right decision.”

(In the audience, Paige whispered to Alison, “Something is strange about that man. Does he even know the circumstances of Mason’s birth?”

Alison nodded slightly, but said nothing.)

“Thank you, Mr. Piper,” the judge said. “Mr. Hines, I want to hear directly from you. You have asked this court to grant you full custody of the minor Mason Walters. The boy has been living with his mother and grandfather for six and a half years. To grant full custody to a virtual stranger would, to say the least, cause significant upheaval in the child’s life. Please tell the court in your own words -- “ She locked eyes with Orpheus -- “why it is in the best interest of the child to make such a drastic change.”


“So,” Johnny said to Ciara, “what’s the plan?”

Ciara shrugged. “I would just skip school to be with you but you don’t want me to do that. However, if we can convince your mom or Lucas to sign me out, my mom won’t be able to say much about it.”

“It’s gonna be Lucas,” Johnny said. “Mom’s too nervous to drive. And no way is he going to agree to that.”

Ciara’s shoulders fell. “I guess I’m going to have to come up with another plan, then.”

“Or, you know, don’t worry about it. I’d rather have you there, but I’m not a baby. I’m almost 16. I can face the guy by myself.”

“I’m sure you can, but…” Ciara sighed. “Is there at least a video feed?”

“Dunno. I hope not. I don’t want the whole school hearing what happened to me.”

Ciara squeezed Johnny’s hand. “Don’t be ashamed. It’s not your fault that guy was a sicko.”

“Yeah. That’s what my mom says too. But still, if anyone knew the things he did to me…” Johnny swallowed hard. “It’s hard enough telling you. I don’t know how I’m going to tell the judge.”

“You will,” Ciara said, “because I’m going to go with you and I’m not taking No for an answer.”

[André DiMera]

Glad Chanel and Mrs. MacGregor are talking about this, and that they’re about to see Aiden. Hopefully he can help her.

Hope the hearing goes the right way. With Judge Walston presiding over it, I’m sure it will.

Thank goodness Paige and Alison know something’s up with Orpheus. It seems like the judge may be on to him, as well.

Glad Ciara’s being supportive, I just hope she doesn’t do anything stupid so she can be there for Johnny.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

I'm worried for Chanel. She is confessing to killing a man. There's only one way this can go.

Cole is such a sleaze. They can't give him custody! I can't imagine what Orpheus is up to.

[heroicmuse]

Week 396 - 3
“How’re you going to pull that off?” Johnny asked as Lucas honked. “There’s my ride.”

“Watch and learn,” Ciara said. She followed Johnny over to the car. “Hi, Lucas,” she said, giving Lucas her best smile. “Thanks for giving us both a ride.”

“Hold on a second,” Lucas said as Ciara reached for the back door handle. “I’m here to pick up Johnny. Nobody said anything about you coming along.”

“Yeah,” Ciara said. “About that… I need someone to sign me out so that I can accompany Johnny to his hearing.”

Lucas crossed his arms. “And why should I do that? I don’t have any text from your mother saying that she gives you permission to come with Johnny to court today.”

“That’s cause there isn’t any,” Johnny said. “I told you this was a dumb plan, Ciara. No one’s going to care that I want you there to give me courage. All they care about is their stupid rules.”

“Hey!” Lucas said. “I thought we were past this nonsense. Come on, Johnny. I know you’re nervous, but let’s not go back to being mortal enemies, all right? If I signed Ciara out without permission, do you know what would happen?”

“Mom would be mad at me for tricking you?” Ciara said. “So what? She always thinks the worst of me anyway.”

“One, that’s not true, and two, it’s not the worst potential consequence of this. Do you know what it’s called when you sign a child out of school that you don’t have permission to sign out and take them somewhere without their parents’ knowledge? Kidnapping. Your mother is the deputy police commissioner. Do you think she’d let me get away with that?”

“But it’s not like you stole me and nobody knew where I was,” Ciara said. “She’ll be able to guess because I asked her this morning and she said No.”

“Somehow that doesn’t make me feel better,” Lucas said. “If her answer is no, so is mine. And we don’t have time to argue about this. If Johnny is late, it’ll damage the quality of his testimony. He could even be held in contempt of court. So Johnny, say goodbye to Ciara and let’s go.”

“I wanted you there,” Johnny said as he hugged Ciara, “but don’t worry. I’ll be okay.”

He got into the car. Ciara watched them leave. “Okay,” she said to herself. “Plans A and B didn’t work, so Plan C has to.”


Allie hurried after Claire and Vicki, who were walking to their English class together. “Claire! Vicki! Wait up!”

Claire rolled her eyes, but she and Vicki stopped.

Allie came up to them. “Thanks for waiting. I didn’t think you would.” She crossed her arms. “Did we have a fight that I didn’t know we had or something? You guys have been avoiding me all day.”

“Not a fight,” Vicki said.

“Then what?”

Vicki and Claire exchanged glances. Vicki said, “I told you this was the wrong way to go about it. Maybe I don’t know people, but I know Allie. She’s my best friend.”

“Really?” Allie said. “So you don’t hate me?”

“Uh uh,” Vicki said. “How could I ever hate you? When I first came to Salem you went out of your way to help me fit in and you never treat me like I’m a freak no matter what.”

“Of course not,” Allie said. “You’re not a freak and I’d fight anyone who thought you were to the death. Even Johnny.” She sighed. “So since we’re still best friends, why have you been avoiding me all day?”

“We weren’t, I swear!” Claire said. Allie put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows at her. “Okay, maybe we were a little. But it’s only because I didn’t know how to tell you that I decided to be friends with Ciara again. I know you hate her, but she and I used to be really close and I missed her.”

“I know already.” Allie’s voice was flat. “I saw you two talking this morning. Um, we don’t all have to hang out with her, do we?”

“No,” Claire said. “I mean, I was hoping we could get the group back together, but I know that’ll take a lot of time. She understands that.”

Allie nodded. “So, um, what are you guys doing? I was wondering if you wanted to hang out after school.”

“Wish I could,” Vicki said. “My mom’s working at the Horton Center today. I gotta take care of dinner and Mom says takeout doesn’t count even if I use my own money.”

“And I… kind of have plans with Ciara already,” Claire said. “If she’s back from court. She said something about going with Johnny.”

“He had to testify against that freak who messed with him,” Allie said, pushing her hair behind her ear, “Can’t believe he’d rather have Ciara there than me. Mom said I could go with him but he said it would be too embarrassing.”

“She is his girlfriend now,” Vicki said. “I guess that’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do. Theo wanted me there too but my mom said no.” She sighed.

“Sucks,” Allie said. “Um, I guess I could come over and help you make dinner. If that’s okay with your mom, I mean.”

“It won’t be, but she won’t be home,” Vicki smirked. “Anyway, here we are at English so I guess I’ll talk to you later.”

Vicki and Claire went into the classroom. Allie’s was across the hall. She watched the other girls go, then said to herself, “Maybe I should see what that Ruby girl wanted. I don’t have to stay long and I can still make it to Vicki’s afterward.” She hurried into her classroom as the bell rang.


Cole said to the judge, “Your Honor, I just want to spend time with my kid. Like Mr. Piper said, it’s been almost seven years. THe bi - excuse me, my ex-girlfriend didn’t even want me to know I had a kid. She was pregnant with him when she got locked up for helping kidnap Paige Larson.”

Mr. Berger stood. “It’s Paige Deveraux now, and she will be testifying on my client’s behalf.”

“Duly noted,” the judge said, “but it’s not your turn.”

(Paige whispered to Alison, “When is he going to tell the judge about Cole threatening me?”

“Cole THREATENED you?” Alison whispered back.

Paige nodded. The bailiff glanced at her so she whispered, “Explain later.”)

“Bev never wanted me to have access to my own kid,” Cole said. “Guess she was ashamed of having a kid with me or something.”

“You raped me, you bastard!” Bev said. Mr. Berger shook his head and the judge said, “Ms. Walters. Control yourself before I decide to hold you in contempt of court.”

“We apologize, your Honor,” Berger said.

“Don’t apologize. Just stop interrupting. Go on, Mr. Hines.”

“As you can see,” Cole said, “she’s pretty unstable. She’s worse now than when I met her. She’s not taking the best care of my son despite not wanting me to be in his life. He almost choked to death cause she was paying more attention to her boyfriend than to him, and last year it was a good thing her dad took Mason home after her friend’s wedding cause she got totally wasted. She wouldn’t do mediation, either. She said either I give up and give her full custody or she’s gonna fight me every step of the way. So that’s what we’re doing, I guess. Fighting in court. I want to see my son and she wants to keep me away from him. Is that fair, just cause I was in prison, just cause I’m on parole? I’ve turned my life around since I got out and I deserve a chance to be the kind of father my son can look up to. Please, your Honor, please let me see my son.”

Bev’s hands were clenched into fists and she was breathing hard to stop herself from screaming at Cole again. The judge raised her eyebrows at her before saying, “It’s Ms. Walters’ turn now. After I hear her statement, I will ask questions of both of you and then each side can present witnesses. Thank you, Mr. Hines. Ms. Walters, go ahead.”

Bev hoped it wasn’t obvious to the judge that she was shaking as she stood.


JJ had the trial on in the background as he sorted press releases. There was a knock on the press room door and then Rafe stuck his head in.

“I know you’re busy,” Rafe said, “but I need to talk to you a minute. It’s important.”

[André DiMera]

While it would have been nice of Ciara to be there for Johnny, I’m kinda glad Lucas didn’t give in. I’m guessing Plan C somehow involves Ciara either sneaking out or signing herself out.

Allie had less of a reaction to Claire wanting to be friends with Ciara than I thought she’d have, which is good. No, Allie, don’t go see what Ruby wants!

Can’t wait to hear Bev’s statement! Of course Cole’s was full of lies. Hopefully the judge won’t side with Cole just because Berger interrupted a few times.

Interested to see Rafe and J.J. talk.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

Can't wait to see what is Ciara's Plan C?

Allie should not meet up with Ruby alone.

I hope Bev can stay calm when she gives her statement. Cole sounded reasonable which means she has to work even harder to discredit him.

[heroicmuse]

Week 396 - 4
JJ swallowed hard. “If this is about a story, I can’t right now.”

“Uh uh. This is personal.” Rafe looked around. “What’s all this you got going on in here?”

“This is the press room. It’s where we sort everything that’s coming in and give it to reporters.”

“Kinda like a tip line, huh?” Rafe said. “They got you doing this instead of someone lower on the totem pole?”

JJ looked away. “I’m on sorting duty for the next two weeks when I should be out there in the field reporting on Bev’s custody hearing. Long story I don’t wanna get into right now./” He crossed his arms. “What’s going on with that dude that messed with Johnny? You think he’s gonna get locked up like he deserves?”

“Hope so. Johnny’s testifying this afternoon. Listen, you able to take a break for a few minutes? What I gotta tell you needs your full attention, I don’t wanna compete with machines buzzing.”

“Sounds serious.” JJ went over to the computer and typed something in. “There. I’m free for 30 minutes.”

“Walk with me, then,” Rafe said.

A few minutes later, JJ and Rafe were at one of the outdoor tables at the cafe. JJ was eating a hot dog with onions, mustard, and barbecue sauce and Rafe was eating a hamburger. They both had fries.

“So what’s up?” JJ asked as he dipped his fries in ranch dressing.

Rafe sighed. “I wish I didn’t have to say this,” he said. “Paige talk to you today?”

“Not since this morning. She’s speaking up at Bev’s hearing.” JJ stared into his plate. “She okay?”

Rafe nodded. “I was hoping she’d told you before I did, that’s all.”

“Told me what? Rafe, please, if something’s wrong, I gotta know.”

“I’m getting to it,” Rafe said. “I’m not gonna keep it from you. I just wanna do this in a way that’s not gonna freak you out.” He sighed. “Paige called me this morning. She had a run-in with Cole outside the courtroom.”

“Crap.” JJ hit his palm with his fist. “What the hell did that bastard want?”

“According to Paige,” Rafe said, his voice very gentle, “he implied very strongly that if she testified on Bev’s behalf, he was gonna make sure something happened to your daughter.”

JJ’s eyes widened with fear and he dropped his French fry.


Berger stood up. “Your Honor, with the court’s permission, I would like to say something before Ms. Walters makes her statement.”

Orpheus stood, but the judge said, “I hope you’re not thinking of objecting, Mr. Piper, not when you made a statement on your client’s behalf.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it, your Honor,” Orpheus said. He sat down and said under his breath to Cole, “Don’t worry. We’re going to win this one way or the other.” He smirked as he thought to himself, What you don’t know is that if you lose, I win. Damn fool.

“Thank you, your Honor,” Mr. Berger said. “There are many reasons why Ms. Walters should continue to retain custody of her son. You’ve already touched upon some of them. Mason has a stable home with Ms. Walters. Her father is wealthy and has opened his home, heart, and wallet to the child. The boy knows his mother and grandfather well and would be traumatized by being removed from their care and given to his father. And of course, his father is a career criminal who went to prison for kidnapping and raping his mother, without which we wouldn’t be here because Mason would never have been conceived.

I’d like to add one more reason to this pile, an important one. Not 20 minutes ago, Mr. Hines threatened one of Ms. Walters’ witnesses in the hallway. He made it quite clear to her that if she did not withdraw her offer to testify, harm would befall her eight-month-old daughter. That is a serious crime for which I hope your Honor will hold Mr. Hines accountable; it also is more than ample proof that this man is not a fit father for Mason Walters or anyone else.”

“That’s a lie!” Cole said, jumping up. “Paige Larson is unstable, everyone knows that. She’s scared of things that didn’t really happen. You can’t believe anything she’s said.”

“It’s Paige Deveraux,” Mr. Berger said, “and how did you know which witness it was if this never happened?”

“I could guess,” Cole said. “As I said, she’s unstable.”

The judge banged her gavel. “That’s enough, both of you. I will see Mrs. Deveraux and Mr. Berger in chambers. Mr. HInes, do not leave this courtroom, as I may need to hear from you and your lawyer too.”

Paige’s heart pounded as she followed Mr. Berger to the judge’s chambers. Meanwhile, Orpheus said to Cole, “You idiot. Did you not think if you did this, that it might ruin everything?”

“I didn’t think a loser like Paige would have the guts to report me to her lawyer,” Cole said, “but no matter. You can get me out of this easily, can’t you?”

“I hope to God I can,” Orpheus said. “Do me a favor and next time you feel like opening your mouth, leave it shut.” Under his breath he said to himself, “I have to have the leverage I need to get my son and daughter back from the ISA. If this idiot’s ruined it, there’s going to be hell to pay.”


Judge Walston looked over the case file, frowning. He put it aside and said, his voice weary, “Is the defendant Olive Miller present?”

“Yes, your Honor,” Olive’s lawyer said.

The judge nodded. “Young lady,” he said, addressing Olive Miller directly, “you stand before me accused of a number of serious crimes, including multiple counts of armed robbery, two counts of felony murder, contributing to the delinquency of minors, purposely terrorizing this town… almost any crime I can think of is in this indictment someplace. In a moment I will ask you how you plead to each of these crimes. But first, I want to impress upon you how serious these charges are. You may, if found guilty, be sentenced to decades in prison. You have until the conclusion of any trial the presumption of innocence and the right to plead not guilty and make your case. You also have the right to be represented by counsel throughout these proceedings, and you cannot at any time be compelled to testify against yourself. Do you understand these rights?”

“This isn’t my first rodeo,” Olive said rudely. “I know how it works.”

“In that case,” Judge Walston said, “you know that is an inappropriate tone to use with a judge. Rectify it from this point forward or we will be doing this over video chat while you sit in a cell.”

Olive glared, but she said, “Yes, your Honor.”

“Very good. Now, how do you plead to the charges against you?”

“She pleads not guilty to all charges at this time,” Olive’s attorney said.

“So noted. ADA Turner, thoughts on bail?”

“Your Honor,” the ADA said, “we’re talking about a woman who recruited young children to do her dirty work. She had kids as young as 12 or 13 selling drugs, and at least one 14-year-old we know of was pushed to rob a random citizen at gunpoint as the price of admission into Ms. Miller’s gang, the Fire Lions. This is reason enough to deny her bail, but in addition, someone in her line of work has a ton of illegally-gotten cash on hand. That makes her a flight risk. Please, your Honor, remand her to Statesville Prison without bail.”

Olive’s attorney stood next. “My client has the presumption of innocence. Therefore she cannot be held prior to trial merely because the District Attorney is disgusted by some of the charges levied against here. Nor is there any evidence that she has any cash on hand, and by the way, any cash she did have would be gained completely legally. There is no reason to hold her pre-trial, not if we want to prioritize Constitutional rights over our own fears. After all, if we can lock up Olive Miller because we don’t like charges against her that have not been proven, it could happen to anyone Even Ms. Turner or yourself.”

“Let’s dispense with the grandstanding, please,” Judge Walston said. “What are you asking for?”

“For Ms. Miller to be released on her own recognizance,” the attorney said.

“Your Honor!” ADA Turner said. “Ms. Miller is accused of encouraging a 14-year-old girl to commit armed robbery, and that is probably far from the only child she has groomed for a life of crime.”

“Groomed?” Olive said. “I didn’t do anything sexual to Ruby. I rescued her from a sicko who did!”

A murmur went through the court and Judge Walston reached for his gavel as Olive glared defiantly at him.

[André DiMera]

Glad Rafe told J.J. what’s going on.

Nice try, Cole, but it’s not gonna work. Glad the judge wants to talk to Paige and Berger.

Thank goodness Judge Walston isn’t letting Olive get away with anything.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

Cole just incriminated himself. I'm glad the judge seems to be taking it seriously.

Paige hasn't had a chance to contact JJ. Not sure how I feel about Rafe being the one to tell him about Cole's threats.

[heroicmuse]

Week 396 - 5
“Quiet, please!” Judge Walston said, but everyone ignored him. He banged his gavel. “Those of you who have ever been in my courtroom before know that I have one rule: I will not have a circus. I do not care how salacious the defendant’s claims are; everyone quiet down right now or I will have to ask the bailiff to begin holding people in contempt.”

Everyone quieted down.

“Thank you,” the judge said. “Now, I wish to remind everyone that this is an arraignment hearing. The purpose of this hearing is only to record the defendant’s plea, set bail, and set a date for a pre-trial hearing. This court cannot entertain any arguments about anything else at this time.

“That said, young lady, the accusation you have made against a person or persons unknown is a very serious one. This court will be sharing the statement you just made with the police and they may want to get other information from you.”

“Are we talking about her cutting a deal with the DA in exchange for this information?” Olive’s attorney interrupted.

“That is up to the district attorney. I cannot and will not compel it and I believe you know that. Now, the only unsettled business here is the matter of bail. I understand the defense counsel’s argument that the defendant is entitled to presumption of innocence. However, there is a dangerousness provision in the bail code for a reason, and that is that if someone is arrested for a violent crime, if a judge were to release them from custody without considering the nature of their alleged offense, that judge would be risking the safety of the entire community. Thus, in such cases, the likelihood that the accused could cause severe harm to others if allowed to be free pending trial must be balanced against the possibility that a falsely accused person could lose their freedom for several months, if not longer, should they be remanded to jail until their name is cleared.

“In this case, the young woman before me has been accused of a long list of violent crimes in addition to allegedly influencing others to commit similar crimes. Specifically, she is accused of being the mastermind behind a string of robberies that has lasted almost a year and which has left this city terrified, in addition to leaving at least two victims dead and one held hostage for nearly a month. We hope that her arrest sends a message to the rest of the gang she controls that this type of violence will not be tolerated; in any case, I believe that public safety is best served by remanding Ms. Miller to Salem City Jail without bail pending trial.”

Beth took a deep breath and let it out slowly as the bailiff came forward to handcuff Olive. Hannah hugged her.

“Feel like a huge weight’s been lifted off your shoulder, huh?” Hannah said. “And now you can make your phone call too.”

“Oh. Yes,” Beth said. “I’ll be right back.” She let her breath out slowly. “I know she hasn’t been convicted yet, but I feel like the nightmare is over. Be right back.”

Beth went out of the courtroom and made a phone call. “Mr. Johnson? Sorry. Steve. This is Beth Madison returning your call from earlier.”

“I’m glad you called,” Steve said through the phone. “I have a lead on finding your daughter and I think you’re going to want to hear this.”


“So let me get this straight,” Aiden said, putting his pen down, after Chanel had explained what was going on. “The cops have been looking for you for over a year for that murder in the courtroom, and in the meantime the police have blackmailed you into doing some dirty work.”

“And none of that will do,” Mrs. MacGregor added. She put her hand on Chanel’s shoulder. “Chanel is trying hard to turn her life around. She’s in a GED program and she does her chores and everything else she’s supposed to at our group home, and she’s even beginning to open up to me about the challenges that drove her self-destructive behaviors before.”

“I saw a counselor at the Horton Center too,” Chanel said. “Not knowing who my birth mom is and why she left me at the hospital is getting to me.”

“You didn’t tell me that,” Mrs. MacGregor said. “I’m so glad you did that. I’m proud of you, Chanel.”

Chanel looked away, embarrassed. “It was no big deal.” She sat up straight before Mrs. MacGregor could tell her to. “The thing is, I can’t go on like this. East Salem PD has me at their beck and call and I can’t be running around with gangs trying to snitch on them when I’m supposed to be in class. Besides, snitches get stitches.”

“And,” Mrs. MacGregor added, “having to keep these types of secrets from the other girls is a lot of pressure for her. That in itself could tempt her back into bad habits and hanging around with unsavory people puts her at even higher risk.”

Aiden nodded. “So I’m guessing you want to undo the deal you made with the police.” He crossed his arms. “I’m on your side with this. You deserve a second chance. But I have to tell you, it’s gonna be hard to get you that without you spending at least a couple nights behind bars. Undoing this deal means murder charges are on the table again. East Salem PD could arrest you on the spot if you quit and even if you don’t… Abe Carver knows you are who he’s looking for.” Aiden typed something into the computer. “You see this?” he said, turning it around. “This is an arrest warrant with your name on it. Commissioner Carver got it a year ago but it doesn’t expire. This means if you’re stopped by police for any reason--you’re pulled over or you’re caught jaywalking or even if they stop you on the street randomly and ask for ID--they’re obligated to arrest you.”

Chanel swallowed hard. “You can’t squash it?”

Aiden shook his head. “At this point, all I can tell you is that it’s better for you to turn yourself in than to get caught by the police. Once you’ve been arrested, I can get you bail and we can start preparing a defense. I’m very sure I can get you a reduced sentence if you testify against this woman who ordered the hit on Marcel Simmons, but there’s no way around you being taken into police custody. With any luck, I can get the district attorney to cut a deal the day of arrest, but if not, we’re gonna have to go to trial.”

Mrs. MacGregor said, “You’re certain she will make bail? There is no chance they’d hold her pending trial?”

“Nothing’s ever guaranteed, but I know a lot of judges. I’m 99 percent sure we can work something out.”

“And she can come back to our home afterward?”

Aiden nodded. “I’ll try to keep the arrest as quiet as possible. If she turns herself in at the police station and I get her out the same day or the next, none of the other girls has to know she was arrested. We can work on getting her out of this mess behind the scenes, but the first step is for her to surrender to the cops cause til she does that, the only alternative is for her to keep working for East Salem and pray that Salem proper doesn’t catch up with her.”

Chanel swallowed hard. “What about my GED? They gonna kick me out?”

“I’ll do my best to make sure they don’t.” Aiden’s voice was soft. “Like I said, you deserve a second chance, a real one.”

Chanel’s heart pounded. This could backfire on her bigtime. She could lose everything and be sentenced to 20 or more years in Statesville Prison besides. But Mr. Jennings was right. She couldn’t live looking over her shoulder. “Okay,” she said, her voice shaking. She turned to Mrs. MacGregor. “Will you be by my side when they cuff me?”

“I will stay with you for as long as they allow me to,” Mrs. MacGregor said. She had tears in her eyes. “I wish it didn’t have to come to this, but since your lawyer seems to think it’s the only way out, I will stand by you and I will do whatever I can to get you out of jail and back home where you belong.”

Chanel nodded. “Let’s go before I lose my nerve,” she said.


Abe was not at the police station. Instead, he was at the courthouse with Theo, waiting on a bench outside the courtroom for the bailiff to call Theo to testify. Theo was fidgeting with his tie, tightening and loosening it and running the part that hung down between his fingers.

“There is no need to be nervous,” Abe told him. “We’ve gone over your testimony with the DA so many times that I’m sure you know it by heart.”

“Of course I do,” Theo said. “That is not the problem. I simply do not relish the idea of looking the man in the eye who took my photos and put them on the Internet, nor do I think Johnny will be happy that I am telling the court that he ignored my attempts to stop him from getting closer with this pedophile.”

“No one looks forward to doing something like this,” Abe said. “But try to take comfort in knowing that your testimony will not only help Johnny to get justice for what was done to him but also will protect other boys your age from being victimized.”

“I understand that,” Theo said, “but I still will be happier once this is over with.”

“Of course you will. I am simply saying that I’m proud of you for being so brave.” Abe’s phone rang. He frowned. “Why is the station calling me? I told them I would not be available this afternoon.”

“Answer it, Dad. It might be an emergency that requires your attention.”

“Hope is Deputy Commissioner, so I don’t know why calls aren’t being routed to her, but I suppose you’re right.” Abe answered his phone. “Commissioner Carver. What? When?”

[André DiMera]

Thank goodness Judge Walston decided to keep Olive in prison until she can either make bail or goes to trial. Can’t wait to hear what Steve has to tell Beth!

I really hope Aiden’s right about all this!

It makes sense that Theo is nervous about testifying. Glad Abe is there for him. Wonder what that call is about.

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?

[Kpatch]

I'm anxious to know what Steve found out.

Nice of Abe trying to encourage Johnny.