01/25/2007 Josh Asks Zach Who Killed Greg Madden



"Kendall finally admits to an enraged Ryan that Emma is his biological daughter. He grabs her roughly and drags her to a nearby room, warning the guard not to let anyone in. Once the door closes, he demands to know how Kendall could find out that kind of information and keep it to herself. Kendall goes on the defensive and demands an apology. Ryan is flabbergasted at the request, but soon understands her tack when she tries to plunge headfirst into how wrong it was for Ryan and Josh to drug Zach. She threatens to come after both of them if Zach suffers any ill effects. Ryan quickly drags her back to the point and asks how long she knew that Emma was biologically linked. She chooses this moment to clam up and Ryan reads her face deftly - recalling that she started trying to find out the nature of his relationship with Annie around Thanksgiving, which is also when David left town. She tries to wriggle her way out of her predicament by saying that as an anonymous sperm donor, he never wanted to know the children he helped create. She also points out that Annie made it clear she didn't want to know who Emma's father was, and says she chose to honor the wishes they had expressed. Ryan tells her that she had to know that the situation was different, given that they all know each other, but Kendall plays innocent. Ryan falls silent, but when Kendall goads him long enough - he tells her that he is wondering how he ever loved her. She tries to tell him that ultimately, her keeping the truth from him was about protecting him, and wanting what was best for him and for their son. He retorts that it was always about her need to be in charge of everything, despite the amount of pain it caused everyone else. He reminds her of their pledge to be honest with each other in an effort to be better parents - and then notes that he should have known that she couldn't do it. Kendall asks after the note of finality in his voice and Ryan tells her that she is now Zach's problem, not his, and that it should work out for the best since they are both prone to keeping secrets. Kendall continues to insist that the decisions she made were to protect their son, but Ryan assures her that there was no need. Trying to find a way to look better, Kendall tells him that just because he is biologically related to Emma does not mean he will have an instant family. Ryan reminds her that whatever he, Annie and Emma end up being is his choice, not hers. As a last ditch effort, Kendall tells him that because of the trauma Annie and Emma went through, living with Terry and then running from him, there is no telling when she would be ready for another serious relationship. She goes on to note that just because there is that link, Ryan can't be assured that Annie won't feel threatened by an obligation to share her daughter once she finds out the truth. Feeling like she has earned the right to be indignant again, Kendall stalks over to the door, tells Ryan that he still owes her and Zach an apology, and that when he delivers it, they might not accept it. She quickly exits the room and closes the door, and both parties ponder all that was said amidst a heavy silence.

Back in Zach's office, Zach continues to try to fight Josh off so that he can go after Kendall. Josh lets him go, and Slater falls quickly to the floor. He expresses anger over what the drug they gave him is doing to his body but Josh excuses it by saying that they needed to do whatever it would take to get more information about the killer. He then takes the opportunity to find out everything that Zach knows about the death of Greg Madden. Zach admits that he was innocent of the events that led up to Greg's death, but he also notes that he knew Greg was being tortured and did nothing because he didn't care and because Greg deserved it. Furious, Josh then asks if Zach knows who is responsible. Zach tries to resist the urge to tell the truth, fixating on the fact that Josh was brought into the world as an experiment that would grow to be a reminder of Greg's glory, nothing more. Josh won't let it go, saying that Zach needs to confess if he knows who the killer is. He asks again, point blank, and Zach finally tells what he knows to be true: Tad Martin was responsible for the death of Greg Madden. As his biological uncle, Josh's facial expression made it clear that accepting Tad as the murderer would be one of the most difficult things he would ever have to do. Zach explains that killing Greg was an accident, and that the only reason Tad put him in that box to begin with was to get the answers he was owed about his daughter. As Josh soaks everything in, Zach warns him not only to bypass any mourning for Greg, but to also resist the urge to destroy his newly found family over this information. Zach states that Josh was never really a son to Greg - just a living, breathing trophy for himself. He says that once Josh was old enough to be his own person, Greg turned on him. He advises Josh to let things be, as there had been enough suffering.

Adam finds JR in the living room gazing at a picture of his own son, and asks if, when Babe interrupted them, he had an opportunity to get more ammunition to use against her. JR asks if they can pick up the conversation later, but before Adam can respond the doorbell rings. He goes to answer it and comes back with Tad and Jamie. JR assumes they have something on the killer but cryptically, Jamie just requests that they be able to talk to Babe.

As Babe exits her private bathroom, she hears the door to the secret tunnel squeak open. She looks up, and promptly asks Zoë why she felt the need to pay a visit. Zoë explains how she was released and how both the outside of the jail as well as the Valley Inn were swarmed with reporters. Babe instantly understands, and tells the singer that she should take a bath and relax. Before they can get that idea in motion, Adam comes calling and tells Babe that Jamie and Tad need to speak to her. She notes that she will be down shortly, and then closes the door long enough to tell Zoë that she should proceed with her bath. Unbeknownst to either, Colby overhears the last of their conversation. The teen scurries away as Babe reappears in the doorway seconds later. Once she goes downstairs, Colby once again positions herself to listen to who is still housed within. She then pulls out her phone, and readies herself to take a picture of whoever is inside. She barges into the room, announcing her belief that Josh is in the room, and is shocked to find Zoë instead. After a moment, she apologizes profusely and starts to leave. Zoë does everything to get the young girl to stay, so that she wouldn't get Babe in more trouble with her husband and father-in-law. She also informs Colby that she is completely innocent of the charges, and is no danger to anyone. Colby is immediately accepting, stating that she has no problem with Zoë being transgendered. Relieved, Zoë relaxes, and Colby immediately picks out some makeup for Zoë to use.

Back downstairs, Babe realizes that the visit from the Martins can't mean anything good. They ask her if she had heard from her father since he left, and she immediately denies hearing from him. They reveal their theory that perhaps he has come back to town, unannounced for once, and is killing off the women of Fusion. They note that even though David hates about everyone in town, his biggest hate is for Zach who embarrassed him when it came to Maria Grey, and who went toe to toe with him (and won) over Dixie. Babe is confused, as a few hours ago, everyone believed that the real killer was behind bars. Tad fills her in about the warehouse, how Zach got locked in, and the message that the killer left as a way of explaining why they think the killer is skipping over her. Babe thinks that she might be left for last because of all of the security around her. They remind her that Zach has just as much protection around Kendall if not more. They then tell her that all the things that happened did so before Zoë was released and could not be orchestrated from a jail cell. However, with David free and his whereabouts unknown, it's more than possible that he is the culprit. Babe doesn't think that it could be David because there would be more direct ways to hurt the people he hates than by killing Simone or Erin. They admit as much could be true, but tell her they wanted to make sure she was up to speed. She thanks them and starts to go back upstairs but her husband asks if she wouldn't rather stay where there are more people. She tells him that she will be all right, and he lets her go.

Babe returns to her room and is stunned to see her sister-in-law there with Zoë. Her tone lets Colby know that she is upset, so in turn the teen tells her that the only reason she isn't ratting her out is because of Zoë. She then leaves the room, and Zoë tells Babe that everything is fine. She then asks if Babe wants her to leave, and Babe quickly tells her to stay, noting that she needs a friend. Zoë tells her that she would do anything for her, so Babe asks her just to hold her. She then fills Zoë in on the theories that were floating around downstairs, and tearily, she says that if David does end up being the guilty party, she isn't sure she can live with that. Zoë comforts her by saying that it's possible they will move on to a whole new guilty party, just as they did with her.

In the living room of the Chandler mansion, the unlikely Martin-Chandler alliance discusses how they can track down David to see if he is responsible. Tad tells the group that when David left, he landed in Indonesia and moved inland, making his movements difficult to trace. He goes on to say that Aidan is on his trail, and that if David did come back to Pine Valley, they would know about it soon. They ascertain that if David is the culprit, he would never kill anyone close to Babe, like her mother or her son. However, they realize that all of the people in the room, as well as Dixie, could be a target. Adam agrees to have his security team enhanced even further. As Adam and Tad discuss the best placement of the extra guards, Jamie checks in with JR to see how he is doing. JR initially tells him about the progress he is making with his PT, but Jamie interrupts and says that he wants to know how he is feeling about Babe, now that Zoë has been cleared. JR still insists that Babe has been lying and Jamie reminds his brother that he had maintained as much if not more deceit than his wife. Jamie then asks if JR is still planning on divorcing Babe, and JR tells him honestly that he doesn't know.

A short time later, JR sees the Martins out, as they promise to update him on Dixie's security as soon as they can. JR then heads back to the living room and finds his father chuckling with a drink in hand. JR doesn't think that his father-in-law being a serial killer is a good thing, but Adam tells him that if it turns out to be true, David being a homicidal maniac could only help his case for full custody.

Annie watches over Spike, and is soon interrupted by her daughter's entrance into the room. The nanny tells her that Emma insisted that she can't go to bed until Ryan comes back, as they say prayers together. Annie tells the nanny that she can go get dinner, and then informs her daughter that since they don't know when Ryan is coming back, they can perform the bedtime ritual without him. Emma agrees, but before heading off to bed, she tells Spike that she loves him. A short while later, Annie looks in on the kids, who appear to be in for the night. The nanny returns, and Annie tells her that she is going to check and see what is delaying Ryan.

Josh paces the office for a few moments, and then spots the stack of letters on Zach's desk with his mother's name on it. Inspired, he grabs them and heads out of the office. In his weakened state, Zach is unable to stop him and moments later, when Annie shows up, he is still stumbling around, trying to regain his footing. She asks after Ryan and Zach vaguely tells her that he is somewhere with Kendall. She then asks if he is okay and she finds out that he has been drugged. She offers to call 911, but he tells her that because the drug is wearing off, he needs her to ask him questions about the night his mother died. She frantically asks anything that she can think of, and he is able to blurt out information that he already knew. When it comes to new information, he draws a blank so dejectedly, he realizes the drug has lost its hold. Annie kneels down and tells him that everything will be okay and that she won't leave him. With those words, she sparks something in Zach's memory. Before he can investigate it, Kendall appears in the doorway and demands to know what Annie is doing with her husband. Zach tells her that everything is fine, and irate at her tone, Annie dumps Zach into his wife's hands and leaves the room. Kendall asks if he is alright and he tells her it all depends on her: how is she dealing with the fact that he told Ryan the truth about his daughter? Kendall tries to tell him that all is forgiven since he was drugged when he revealed her secret, and Zach tells her that some good came from the ordeal. He remembered what the R at the bottom of his mother's letters stood for: Raymond.

Ryan arrives in the room where the kids are sleeping and finds a doll lying on the floor. He asks where Annie is, and the nanny tells him that she went to look for him. Before heading back out to find her, Ryan looks in at both of his sleeping children and can't resist touching Emma's brow. She springs awake, joyous at his return. She tells him that she said her prayers and in them, asked for Spike to be her baby brother. He re-tucks his daughter in just as Annie returns to the outer room. Ryan joins her in short order, as Annie bids Rachael good night. She tells him what happened with Zach, and Ryan confirms that she wasn't informed about Emma's paternity without revealing any details. She senses that there is more to the story, but Ryan decides that he can hold off on telling her, places a kiss on her forehead and leaves the room.

Babe and Zoë climb into bed and Zoë tells her best girlfriend that she must pull herself out of her funk because she needs her, Babe, to help her get through life. Zoë orders Babe to close her eyes and picture herself in a peaceful space...and then begins to serenade her. As she sings, across town, Josh tries to ban the tears that are brimming behind his eyelids."

- Soap Central