Breaking Ties: An Ensemble Story (Read 248,599 times)

[heroicmuse]

Thank you André DiMera and Kpatch for your comments this week!

Next week things heat up for Alison's investigation when they learn something surprising, and that's only one story. Check out the spoilers below to learn who has a new friend, what courtroom drama there is, and how our friends in the safe house are getting on.

Coming Up on Breaking Ties...

Dani is embarrassed when Prescott remembers her as the girl he arrested for using a fake ID, but Prescott doesn't hold it against her. When the girls finally get to the point of their visit, he has some surprising news about that police report... and a private concern about someone he is close to.

Meanwhile, Rafe's probable cause hearing starts and Justin is disappointed by one of the ground rules, but that may be temporary considering how quickly SLoan's first attempt at throwing a monkey wrench into things is shot down. However, Rafe is upset by the first witness Sloan calls to prove she has a case against him.

In the safe house, Hannah continues to struggle with feelingl ike she's back in jail, while Chanel and Jeremy try to make the best of things.

All this and more on next week's Breaking Ties!

[André DiMera]

Glad Prescott won’t make things awkward. Wonder what the news is.

Wonder who Sloan’s first witness is, and what one of the rules is. Hopefully the hearing will go well.

I’m sure this will be hard for Hannah.

Thanks for the previews, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 495 - 1
As everyone sat down, Judge Walston said, “Before we begin, I want to remind all parties what this hearing is and isn’t about. This is a probable cause hearing, and thus it may seem like a trial. However, our goal here is not to conduct the full adversarial process that the defendant will undergo during trial. Instead, we want only to find out if the prosecution has enough evidence to warrant going to trial. Therefore, there is no need for cross-examination, as we will not be poking holes in the evidence at this stage, but only assessing if it is strong enough on its face. The prosecution may call witnesses and ask questions only to demonstrate the witness’ relevance to the proceedings. I will also question the witnesses. The prosecution may also display physical evidence. The defense may call the defendant and other witnesses that demonstrate alternative theories of the case, as that will feed into the question of whether there is enough doubt to dismiss the charges. Again, there will be no cross-examination of these witnesses. Do we all understand?”

“Yes, your Honor,” Justin said, “though for the record, I think that it would be far easier to demonstrate that these charges are nonsensical if I could cross examine.”

“Duly noted,” Judge Walston said, “but again, I will be ealuating the witnesses the prosecution provides myself for relevance and credibility. I do not want this hearing to become a dress rehearsal for trial, which is why I am eliminating those aspects that seem unnecessary for our purpose today.”

Sloan smirked as Justin said, “Yes, your Honor.”

“Anything else before we begin?” Judge Walston asked.

“Yes, your Honor.” Sloan stood. “State law holds that defendants who are not indicted by a grand jury have the right to this type of preliminary hearing. However, this defendant was indicted by a grand jury. Therefore, this seems like an unnecessary hearing, as a jury of his peers already found there was enough evidence to proceed to trial, and I am forced, your Honor, to file a motion to dismiss this hearing and proceed to trial.”

“Denied,” Judge Walston said. “I am aware that the defendant was indicted by a grand jury. In fact, I knew this when I scheduled this hearing. I hope that you are not suggesting that my advanced age means that I am unable to understand the law or reason adequately when I set hearing dates.”

“Of course not, your Honor,” Sloan said. “I just thought perhaps you had made a mistake that could be rectified now.”

“I appreciate the concern, but I did not,” Judge Walston said. “Are you ready to call your first witness?”

Sloan’s eyes narrowed, but she said, “Yes, your Honor I call Federal Agent Elijah Cooper to the stand.

Rafe’s eyes narrowed as Cooper stood. “I can’t believe he’d sell me out,” he whispered. “We’ve been partners for years.”

“I’m sure he’s under subpoena,” Justin whispered back, “and I’m equally certain that his testimony will not be as damning as the prosecution expects. I sure wish I could cross-examine him right now, though.”

Rafe nodded nervously as Cooper took the oath and sat down in the witness box.


Ruby and her history class had taken a trip to the library so that the librarians could teach them how to do research for their history project. A group of girls sitting at one of the tables snickered as she passed.

Ruby ignored them, walking past to the computer area where the rest of her class was waiting. One of the girls said under her breath, “Jail bait.” The girls all laughed.

Ruby threw herself into her seat. The teacher glanced at her, but said nothing.

Sydney was sitting at a computer at the other side of the room. She said to the girl next to her, “That wasn’t right, the way those older girls treated the new girl. I’m going to go sit with her.”

“Syd, no,” the other girl said. “You’ll get a bad rep, sitting with losers that get bullied.”

“I don’t care,” Sydney said. “Bullying is wrong.” She got up and went and sat next to Ruby.

Ruby slumped in her seat, sure that Sydney had either sat down to bully her or because she felt sorry for her, and she wasn’t sure which one would be worse.

[André DiMera]

Nice try, Sloan. Hopefully Justin’s right about why Cooper is there.

I hope Ruby will realize that Sydney’s trying to be nice.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

That was really kind of Sydney. She surely didn't learn that from her mother. LOL.

[heroicmuse]

Week 495 - 2
Prescott had called the girls back to his desk to talk to them. “What can I do for you ladies?” he asked.

“We might want to talk in private,” Alison said. “Can we use Commissioner Carver’s office?”

Prescott frowned. “He doesn’t like people borrowing his office without permission,” he said, “and if this is for a story, it’s not a good time.”

“It’s about something that happened in Chicago,” Alison said, “and we really need your help, but the whole world doesn’t need to hear.”

“Yeah,” Dani said. “If there’s an empty interrogation room, I’ll put up with being in one again so we can talk to you.”

“Again?” Prescott looked Dani up and down. “I remember you now,” he said. “The girl with the fake ID.” Dani’s cheeks turned bright red and Prescott said, “Glad to see you sober and staying out of trouble.”

“Thanks,” Dani said. “I wish I hadn’t made that kind of impression.”

“You’ve turned it around, that’s the important thing.” Prescott smiled slightly. “You guys sure you wanna sit in an interrogation room when you don’t have to?”

“I’d rather sit in a comfortable office,” Alison said, “but all this discussion about it is wasting time.”

Prescott held out his hands. “ You’re right. You’re right. Okay. Let’s do this.”

The girls followed him into an interrogation room. Dani’s heart pounded harder as they walked inside. She’d been questioned after her arrest about where she got the fake ID from and she still remembered feeling so powerless and scared when she was brought in, her hands cuffed behind her back, and after the cops took them off they re-cuffed her wrists in front of her on the table.

She swallowed hard as she pulled out a chair and sat down across from Prescott.

“Why do I have this feeling I’m the one in the hot seat?” Prescott said, smiling slightly.

“The thing is,” Alison said, “we’ve been looking into my brother’s arrest. We got the police report, but a page is missing.”

“Your brother?” Prescott frowned. “I haven’t run across any other McCarthys recently, believe it or not.”

“This was a couple of years ago in Chicago,” Alison said.

Prescott frowned. “I wish I could help, but…”

“Please, Officer Prescott.” Alison leaned forward. “My brother’s doing a ten-year sentence for a crime he didn’t commit. And the only way we can prove that is if we get the whole police report. But someone took out the tox screen page. So I know it was a long time ago, but please try to remember.”

Prescott held up his hands. “It’s not that I wouldn’t if I could. But I never worked in Chicago. I took a beat in East Salem right out of the academy and that’s where I was til Commissioner Carver transferred me here.”

Alison’s eyes narrowed. “So there’s another Prescott working in Chicago right now?”

“It’s not as if I’m the only one in the world with that name,” Prescott said. “In fact, I’m not even the only Officer Prescott in my family. Let me see that report.”

Alison handed it to him. Prescott looked at it and said, “There’s where your mistake is.” He pointed at the name. “This signature says Officer G. Prescott. I’m not an G. My first name’s Jamie.”

“Oh,” Alison said, her stomach sinking. “So you really can’t help us.”

“Not directly, but I can make a call,” Prescott said. “This G. Prescott in Chicago, that’s my brother Gerald. I’ll give him a call and see what I can find out, but I can promise you one thing. Whatever happened to the tox screen, it wasn’t him hiding it.”

“I hope not,” Alison said. “I know what it feels like for everyone to believe your brother did something wrong.”

“Yeah.” Prescott let his breath out slowly. “Look, I can’t call right this second but I’ll do it by the end of my shift and as soon as I know something, I’ll reach out.”

The girls thanked him and left. Prescott stared at the report and said to himself, “Gerald didn’t get himself in over his head with something. He’s a good cop. I know he is.”



The librarian had been instructing the kids about how to use the various databases in the library. “Remember,” she said, “Ewe Search and Salempedia are good starting points, but that’s not where you’re going to find the best sources, so don’t get lazy. Follow the trail from those places to real sources. Now let’s put those research skills into action. Choose a topic from the list your teacher’s given you and start researching.”

“Ugh,” Ruby said as she stared at the list. “All of these sound boring.”

“I don’t know,” Sydney said. “If you go local, Salem history has a lot of really exciting topics. Though I’ve heard those crazy stories all my life and I don’t want to know anything more about my mother.” She shuddered.

“I kind of want to know about my uncle,” Ruby said, “but Harris Michaels isn’t on the approved topic list.” She scanned the topics. “History of juvenile detention methods in Salem?”

“Ooh,” Sydney said. “I want to know about that.”

“I don’t, not after…” Ruby bit her lip.

Sydney said, quietly, “You’ve been to juvie?”

“Yeah.” Ruby looked away. “I’m a loser and if you knew what I did you’d hate me. Everyone does cause I had a gun and, um, I hurt someone who was really popular.” She blinked back tears.

“If you’re talking about Ciara, I don’t care. She was a bully for a long time, she deserved to get taken down a peg.”

“Yeah, but I pointed a gun at her and told her to give me everything she had. I-if that gun had gone off by accident…”

Sydney swallowed hard. “I believe in second chances,” she said flatly. “I’ll give you one if we can work together on researching the history of jail in Salem.”

Ruby hesitated. She didn’t really want to read anything about the jail system, but Sydney was the first person who’d treated her like a human being since she came back to Salem High, and she didn’t want to make her mad.

“Okay,” she whispered and they shook on it.

[André DiMera]

Glad Prescott was willing to help as much as he could. I kinda have my doubts about his brother.

Nice that Sydney and Ruby are working together on this.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

I can't believe Sydney said Ciara deserved what happened to her. No one deserves that. I just changed my opinion of Sydney.

[heroicmuse]

Week 495 - 3

Melinda had her phone on silent, but it flashed, telinng her she had a new message, as Sloan stood to begin questioning Agent Cooper. She held her phone under the table and glanced at it, her eyes widening, but quickly put her phone away when Justin looked over at her.

Sloan didn’t notice Melinda tiptoeing out into the hall as she approached the stand, but JJ, who was covering the hearing for SPN, did, and quietly followed her.

Sloan said, “Please state your full name for the record.”

Cooper’s eyes narrowed. “Elijah Cooper,” he said.

“And what is your relationship with the defendant?”

Cooper’s eyes glanced toward Rafe, then away. “He is… um he was my partner.”

“Was?”

Cooper again glanced at Rafe, then away. “He was suspended from the FBI after he was arrested.”

Rafe stiffened. Justin whispered, “Arrested doesn’t mean guilty and hopefully the judge will address that.”

Sloan asked Cooper a few more questions to establish her foundation before getting to the point. Then she said, “Tell us about the night Bill Montague got shot. Did you witness the shooting?”

“Yeah, I did.” Cooper stared down at the ground, aware of what was coming next. Sure enough, Sloan asked him to describe what had happened.

Cooper sat straighter up in his seat, thinking. “You realize at this point we’re going back almost two years,” he said.

“I’m sure this event was extraordinary enough to make an impression,” Sloan said. “I mean, you don’t see people get shot every day, right?”

Cooper looked away. “Right.”

“Then answer the question. To the best of your recollection, what happened that night?”

Cooper sighed deeply. We’d been searching for the minor John Roman Dimera, who had been abducted by Mr. Montague, with no success until Kate Dimera gave us a lead that she got from her private investigator.”

Sloan laughed. “You’re telling me the FBI is so incompetent that — “

Justin started to get up, then caught himself, but it didn’t matter because Judge Walston interrupted, “Ms. Petersen. There is no need to impugn the FBI’s abilities, either in general or of this agent. That is not relevant to the purpose of proving that there is probable cause to make the other FBI agent at the defense table stand trial for obstruction of justice.”

Sloan’s eyes flashed but she said, “Yes, your Honor. I apologize.” She turned back to Cooper. “I’ll rephrase, then. So you relied on a citzen’s tip to locate Johnny Dimera?”

“Correct.”

“What happened when you got to the scene?”

“Ms. Dimera and Ms. Brady, that is, Johnny Dimera’s mother, followed us to the scene. I advised them that this was a dangerous situation and that it was best they leave, but they refused.”

“You advised them. What did Mr. Hernandez do?”

(“My job,” Rafe said under his breath. Justin put his finger on his lips.)

Cooper sighed. “Rafe told them they could stay as long as they stayed out of our way.”

“That wasn’t standard procedure, was it?”

“No, ma’am.” Cooper was sweating and he kept looking at Rafe, then away.

“Did Mr. Hernandez do anything else that was not standard procedure?”

Cooper again glanced at Rafe. His eyes were wide, like he was apologizing in advance. Sloan said, “Agent Cooper, stop looking at him and answer my question. Did Mr. Hernandez do anything else that was not standard procedure?”

Cooper sighed deeply. “Yes.”

“And what was that?”

Cooper reached for the water that was at the side of the witness stand. He gulped it while Sloan crossed her arms, tapping her fingers on her elbows.

FInally, Cooper put the water down. He said, “To tell you that I’d have to explain what went down first.”

“Which was what?” Sloan said. “And stop stalling.”

“Don’t be rude to the witness, Ms. Petersen,” Judge Walston said, rubbing his temples. “That’s twice I’ve had to correct you when you know better. Please do not test me a third time.”

Sloan swallowed hard, aware she was close to being held in contempt. The judge was clearly biased and she could use anything he did against her in her appeal if things didn’t go her way, but she didn’t want to have to cool her heels in a jail cell anyway. “Yes, your Honor,” she saif quietly. “Go ahead, Agent Cooper. What happened?”

“When we got to the scene and found the ladies had followed us and wouldn’t go home, Rafe told me to keep an eye on them while he went inside the cabin -- that’s where we were, at a cabin in the middle of the woods -- and rescued the victim. While he was inside, there was this loud crash and then the suspect began running through the woods, alone.”

“Was this suspect armed?”

“We found out later he wasn’t when we searched him during arrest.”

Sloan nodded. “Then what happened, Agent Cooper?”

“Everything at once. The suspect was running, I was yelling at him to stop, and then there was like this pop, you know, like a gun going off and the suspect was on the ground. I turned and Ms. Dimera was dropping a gun into her purse, looking very pleased with herself.”

“So she had shot him?”

“No doubt in my mind.”

“So you witnessed Ms. Dimera shoot Mr. Montague. What did you do next?”

“I checked on the suspect, restrained him, and called for an ambulance. I then attempted to detain Ms. Dimera. I told her to give me the gun and put her hands behind her back.”

“Did she cooperate?”

“Wasn’t time for her to decide yes or no.” Cooper glanced at Rafe one last time. “You see, Rafe came out of the cabin when he heard the shot and he told me to let her go.”

A murmur spread through the courtroom. Judge Walston banged his gavel.

“So Mr. Hernandez told you to let her go. Are you telling me that he was aware that Ms. Dimera had shot Mr. Montague?”

“He was aware that I was placing her under arrest and that the suspect was on the ground with a bullet in his leg, so he could easily infer what had happened.”

“So then Mr. Hernandez’s later statement that he had shot Mr. Montague himself to stop him from getting away was a lie?”

Cooper slumped down. “It definitely was.”

“Thank you,” Sloan said. She was smirking as she sat down.

Justin pressed his fingers together, waiting for the judge to cross-examine Cooper. He hoped the judge had something good, because Sloan had just won major points.


Meanwhile, in the hall, Melinda was on a quiet call. “Yes, I got the pictures. I recognize Alison McCarthy, but who’s that girl wit her? I see. Yes, I’ll do that.” She hung up the phone. “Damn it.”

“Problem, Ms. Trask?” JJ said, coming around the corner. Melinda flipped her hair back and she turned toward him, trying to play it cool.

[André DiMera]

I also hope the judge has something good. Of course Cooper had to tell the truth, but that’s really hurt Rafe’s case.

Wonder what Trask will say.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[Kpatch]

I think Sloan is probably sharper than Justin and wants to win at all costs. Step it up, Justin!

[heroicmuse]

Week 495 - 4
“Mr. Deveraux,” Trask said. “Shouldn’t you be in there covering the hearing? Which Sloan and I are going to prevail at, by the way, so if you want to save time you can just go back to the office and write up a story about our victory.”

“Yeah, I don’t think so.” JJ crossed his arms. “I don’t cut corners cause I actually take my job seriously. But what are you doing out here, cursing under your breath and staring at your phone? That doesn’t seem like someone who’s so sure they’re gonna win.”

“I’m annoyed because I’m out here fighting with lack of signal instead of in there watching Sloan win,” Trask said. “You know, you’re one of the few success stories I’ve run across in my career. It seems the time you spent behind bars, as short as it was, got you to screw your head on straight, and now you’re one of Salem’s top reporters, and have a beautiful wife and an adorable little girl as well.”

JJ stiffened. “I don’t know what your angle is, but let’s have it.”

“No angle.” Melinda held out her hands. “You need to learn to take a compliment, that’s all. But I will say this. It’s obvious that jail did you some good. And the same is probably true for your friend in there. But Mr. Hernandez, he’s stubborn. He’s insisting on pleading not guilty when what he should do is take his lumps. He could learn the same lessons you did if he were locked up for a little bit, don’t you think?”

“I think that Rafe’s pleading not guilty cause he doesn’t deserve to go to prison over this nonsense,” JJ said, “and that’s how it’s gonna stay.”

“We’ll see about that.” Trask smiled slightly. “Like I said, you’re a success story. But I wonder how many of your viewers at SPN would change the station if they knew their favorite reporter was an ex-con who’s biased against the proceedings he’s supposed to be covering.”

JJ glared at her. “If you think blackmailing me’s gonna get you what you want, you’d better — “

“Oh, I don’t think it. I just think if there’s something simple you can do to avoid public humiliation, you should jump at the chance.”

JJ crossed his arms. “What are you talking about?”

“It’s simple. I don’t have to release your criminal history to the public. After all, you’re not a danger to society anymore, even got your Certificate of Good Conduct.”

“And in return what do you think you’re gonna make me do?”

“Exactly what I said before. Convince your good buddy Rafe to take a plea that includes jail time and the loss of his gun permit.” Trask came closer. “If you do that for me, no one has to know your history. So what do you say, Mr. Deveraux? Do we have a deal?”


“You sure you’re gonna be all right down there?” Hannah asked as Kenneth folded a blanket and put it on the floor.

“Better me than you,” Kenneth said, “and that way I’m right here if you need me. Just do me a favor and watch your feet if you gotta use the bathroom in the middle of the night.”

“I know my way around a room in the dark, trust me.” Hannah crossed her arms. “You think I’d have survived jail if I’d gone stepping on people on my way out the room?”

Kenneth frowned. “They didn’t give you guys beds?”

“They did, but we were all on top of each other so we might as well have been on the floor. Plus sometimes people lay down any old place as a test to see who would do something about it they’d get a beatdown for.” Hannah shuddered.

“You never should been in that situation,” Kenneth said, shaking his head sadly.

Hannah shrugged. “I did it to myself. Just like this situation.” She sighed. “I know you’re gonna say this one’s on Nat, but the thing is, if i’d never got involved with her in the first place, my life would have gone a whole different direction. No constant fights with my mom, no getting arrested, no spending a year in jail, and definitely no being locked up here so I can testify without risking my life. And you got messed up by it too. Kidnapped, almost arrested for something you didn’t do, and now you’re stuck here with me.”

“Stuck’s not the word I’d use.” Kenneth sat down on the bed next to Hannah. He put his arm around her. “I know it’s tough having to be locked up here for our safety. But we’re together, right? And this is all cause you’re doing the right thing. You could have been cowardly and backed out of testifying against her, but you didn’t.”

“Never crossed my mind for a second. She’s gotta learn her lesson for once and stop thinking she can push people around.”

“See?” Kenneth kissed her neck. “And that’s why I love you.” He held her close. “You’re so tense,” he said. “You want me to give you a massage?”

Hannah nodded.

Kenneth adjusted his position so he was behind Hannah. He began squeezing her shoulders while she blinked back tears, trying to get rid of the sound of cell doors clanging shut that was echoing through her mind.

[André DiMera]

No way is J.J. gonna take that deal! Nice try, Trask!

So glad Hannah has Kenneth.

Great chapter, heroicmuse!

[heroicmuse]

Week 495 - 5

Nat’s lawyer had come to see her in her hotel room. He watched her pacing back and forth. “Listen to me,” he said. “The fact that they’ve asked for the witnesses to testify via Ewe Video link may actually work in our favor. I will go to court and argue that it is prejudicial, that if it appears the witnesses are too scared to testify in person, that it will poison the jury’s mind against you before they even hear the testimony. If we win, the young women will be forced to testify in person. And if we lose — ”

“We’d better not!” Nat snapped.

“If we lose,” her lawyer said quietly, “then we have grounds for appeal.”

Nat crossed her arms. “Seriously? That’s the best you can do? An appeal? Do you understand that I am on trial for hiring someone to kill my own brother as well as for conspiring to kidnap Hannah’s stupid boyfriend? Plus drug trafficking and corrupting minors and all that BS. If I lose I’m going away for life! We can’t lose this, you understand? We have to do whatever it takes to win it.”

“And I am fighting for you to win,” her lawyer said. “But you have to trust me.”

“No!” Nat spun on her heel. “You have to earn my trust. And you do that by showing me that you have what it takes, that you’re loyal to me and to the Fire Lions and that you will stop at nothing to get me off.”

“That’s what I’m doing.” Her lawyer held up his hands. “Look, the cops have it in for you, all right? But we can still win this if we think strategically enough. The witnesses are not as strong as the prosecution thinks. They have criminal records, both of them, and Ms. Dupree is especially weak. She confessed to killing your brother. It should be easy to put the idea into the jury’s head that she made up this whole story about you telling her to do it because she’s upset that she got caught.”

“That’s why I was hoping Hannah would get cold feet. People will believe her. She’s cute and perky and she comes across all innocent. That’s what drew me to her back in the day and it’ll draw the jury to her too.” Nat blinked back tears. “I can’t believe she’s doing this to me. We were best friends once.”

“Your brother took her boyfriend. That crossed a line, I guess.”

“Yeah,” Nat said, “but that wasn’t me. That was all him. I mean, he made me tell her what he wanted, but I only did it because I didn’t want her man to get hurt. I do still care about her, you know, and if she wants that cleanshaven Mama’s boy, I had to do what I could so my crazy brother didn’t mess everything up for her.”

“I’d avoid saying things that make you sound jealous on the stand. But we can work with that.”

“Right.” Nat sighed. “I don’t see how you poke holes in her testimony. I mean, yeah, when we were together she took us to score a lot, so she’s just as guilty of drug trafficking as me, but she’ll make herself out to be a victim, and the thing she was arrested for works in her favor too. Whole world thinks she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, or maybe that I put that beer in her hand on purpose to get her arrested.”

“Well, the fact that she got you guys drugs is something we can work with. The trial’s gonna be in East Salem, which has been ravaged by drug-related crime. No matter how cute or perky she is, she contributed to the destruction of the city and if we paint that picture of her, the jury won’t believe a word she says.”

“Right. Okay.” Nat let her breath out slowly. “Guess we got a plan, then.”

“We do. Try to relax, okay? We got this.” Her lawyer patted her shoulder and then left.

Nat waited for the door to close behind him. “I’ve got this, you mean. No matter what he says, Hannah testifying is going to ruin everything..”

She made a call. “Listen up. We have one more chance to get Hannah Martin out of the way so I don’t go to jail. No, I know she’s in protective custody like the baby rat she is. But listen carefully. There’s another way to get to her. I’m gonna send you the details, the photo and all that. Hit me up soon as it’s done.”

Nat hung up and opened her phone to a webpage. She took a screenshot and then sent it to her contact.

The screenshot was of Valerie’s about page on the website for the hospital in East Salem where she worked, which included her name and photo. Nat added the message: Doc M is Hannah’s mother. I’m sure she’ll have time to see you… 👿


At Jennifer’s, Mike was flipping through channels on the TV and checking his ph one every two seconds, sighing.

Jennifer came downstairs. “No word from Jeremy’s lawyer yet?”

Mike’s eyes narrowed. He hated lying to Jennifer. He knew the more people who knew about where Jeremy really was, the more likely it was it would get back to Nat, but he also knew his sister wouldn’t tell anyone.

“No,” he said at last. “”Radio silence.”

Jennifer frowned. “I’m sure someone will be in touch as soon as possible. Hopefully Jeremy himself.” She crossed her arms. “I have to say, it’s really weird that he decided to turn himself in at the Embassy now. He seemed so happy and focused on the future. And another thing. I read his girlfriend was arrested for drugs the same night he turned himself in. Now, maybe she relapsed because he was arrested, but I know addiction. I lived through it with JJ. And that girl did not strike me as someone who was even thinking about getting high.”

“Yeah, but addicts are good at hiding their intentions. You know that as well as I do.”

“Yeah, I do.” Jennifer pushed her hair behind her ear. “But I also know when my big brother is lying to me.” She sat down next to him. “You forget I was a reporter for a lot of years. I can sniff a story a mile away. So talk to me. Where did Jeremy and Chanel really go, and why did they have to make it look like they’d been arrested?”




Roman was outside the back of the Pub, awaiting a delivery, when a man came up to him. “Roman Brady?”

“That’s me,” Roman said. “What can I do for you?”

“You’ve been served,” the man said, and handed Roman an envelope.

Roman frowned. He put on his reading glasses, saying to himself, “I hope that’s not what I think it is.” He opened the envelope and read the contents, looking more and more upset.

[André DiMera]

I really hope whoever Nat texted doesn’t succeed in hurting Valerie. Interesting that Nat still thinks of Hannah as a friend when all she ever did was use Hannah.

Jennifer’s beginning to work it out. Wonder what Mike will say.

Curious why Roman has been served papers.

Can we please have previews, heroicmuse?