"The suitcase brought an eerie silence to the evidence room. Jim (The role of Jim Thomasen is now being played by David Forsyth) suggested that they exit the room before any horrible ghosts from the past pop up to scare them. Instinct told Brooke that Jim knew something. She recalled seeing the luggage somewhere before, but she couldn't recall where. When she asked Jim, he provided a canned reply. The suitcase must look like hundreds of other suitcases, he replied. He then implied that the suitcase might not have been on the plane. Brooke pursed her lips before accusing Jim of turning his back on the truth. Jim explained that he wanted to focus on starting a new year with a clean slate---no more living in the past. He motioned towards the door and asked that Brooke return home and get ready for the ball.
Dimitri told Gloria---at the last minute---that they would be attending the ball. Gloria was surprised that Edmund had extended an invitation, but she was relieved that the feud between Dimitri and Edmund might be ending.
Over at Wildwind, last minute preparations were being done to make sure that everything was ready for the big event. Under the watchful eye of a hired magician, Tad tried to make a giant marble "disappear" from under a silk handkerchief. No matter how hard he tried, when Tad yanked back the cover... the marble was still there. Edmund was unimpressed with Tad and hoped that Tad's participation in their scheme would go off better than his magic tricks. In the hallway, Gillian picked up a cellular phone and placed a call to her cousin. Using her "munchkin" voice, Gillian told Dimitri that she had one final demand before facing him at the ball. Dimitri wasn't about to bow to any demands, but he seemed to have no other choice. She told him to bring fifty thousand dollars in small, unmarked bills with him. Dimitri worried that he could not obtain that large a sum of money in such a short time. Gillian warned him to get the cash or risk exposure. She again stated that she wanted cash only---no bank drafts. Gillian hung up the phone and started to walk back to the livingroom area. When she turned around, she saw Tad and Edmund standing in front of her. They'd overheard her conversation---and they were not pleased. Edmund blasted Gillian for trying to get rich off of his plan. He told her that he doesn't care that her family castle was lost. Gillian was stunned by Edmund's statement. He had previously promised to never reveal that Gillian was in financial turmoil. Before storming away, he warned her that she will be out on the streets if their plan falls through. Tad was left to wonder how Gillian squandered her riches. Gillian didn't speak up other than to tell Tad that it wasn't any of his business. Tad didn't take kindly to being told to buttout and he threatened to do an expose on The Cutting Edge about her riches-to-rags story if she loused his plan.
Back at the loft, Dimitri walked over to his desk and picked up his checkbook. He paged through the checks methodically as he repeated "bank draft" over and over. Gloria returned to the room with two gowns. She asked Dimitri for his opinion on which she should wear. He selected his favorite and then told Gloria that he was having a hard time deciding how much money to donate to the charity established in Maria's name. Perhaps, he sighed, he'll make out a bank draft for a tidy lump of cash. Gloria looked at her husband curiously and asked him what he meant by "bank draft." Dimitri explained that the term, used only in Europe, referred to a personal check. Gloria kind of shrugged her shoulders and the returned to the bedroom to finish getting ready. Dimitri stroked his chin and spoke aloud to himself. He referred to Gillian as a "damned fool" for trying to pull the wool over his eyes. He knew that Gillian wasn't devious enough to devise an extortion plan by herself. That meant that Tad and Edmund must also be in on the scheme. He donned his tuxedo and then walked slowly to his desk. He opened a drawer and removed the box. Neatly tucked away under a wooden divider was a single handgun. He tucked the gun into his pants and carried on with his business.
When Brooke walked through the front door of her house, she overheard Laura making plans to secure a room somewhere. Brooke wondered if Laura was leaving home. Laura confirmed her fears. She told her mom that she'd been offered a job working with children. Brooke still didn't understand why Laura needed to move out. So finally Laura confessed that the job was in Boston. Brooke's heart broke, but she knew that her little girl wouldn't always be living under her roof. She just didn't expect her daughter's departure to come so soon. Brooke might have accepted the idea had Laura not commented that Jim helped her come up with the idea. A strange and cold frown took over Brooke's face as she tried to pretend that she was happy with Laura's decision to leave Pine Valley. Something, she thought, just didn't add up.
A while later, Laura returned to the livingroom and praised her mother's silver one-strap gown. Brooke had made a few calls and arranged for an old friend to allow Laura to live with her. Brooke felt more at ease knowing that Laura would be living with someone she knew rather than a perfect stranger.
Janet ripped through her closet and started throwing out many of her old outfits. A knock at the door temporarily interrupted her winter cleaning. Outside, one of the Valley Inn's housekeeping staffers waited to clean Janet's room. The woman didn't want to intrude, but Janet insisted that she come inside and carry on with her work. The housekeeper seemed surprised that "Miss G," as she called Janet, was not going to the "hoopla" at Wildwind. Janet sadly replied that parties weren't her thing. Janet plucked a low-cut black gown from her closet and tossed it into the trash. The housekeeper was appalled that Janet wanted to get rid of such a beautiful dress. Janet offered to donate it to the shelter, but the woman quickly noted that not many homeless people have the opportunity to wear a cocktail dress. Janet smiled and handed the dress over to the young lady. She was overjoyed and said that she'd make sure she cleaned Janet's room well. Janet tried to get the woman to leave and celebrate the holiday, but the woman wouldn't budge. And she certainly wasn't going to go anywhere after a mystery package arrived at Janet's door. A messenger delivered a corsage. Janet insisted that the man must have dropped by the wrong room, but the delivery slip had Janet's named and room number on it. The housekeeper smiled as she noted that someone must be interested in taking Janet to the ball. Janet thought that Amanda might have sent the corsage, but when the deliveryman returned with two more packages, she knew better. The first box contained a gold and black dress. Janet's new buddy oohed and aahed at the dress and told Janet that she'd better get ready to step out on the town. She excused herself so that Janet could get ready. Janet, however, didn't get dressed. When a knock sounded on the door, Janet learned who her secret admirer was---Trevor. Trevor snapped his fingers and told Janet to hurry up and get dressed. Janet firmly stated that she was not going to the ball. Her comments fell on deaf ears as Trevor leaned over and gave her a passionate kiss. Janet pulled away and said that she could not marry Trevor. Marry? Who said anything about marriage? Trevor told her that they were going to go to a party together---nothing more. Janet excused herself and slipped into her gown. It fit her beautifully, but she still felt as though she might be breaking her promise to her sister. One night with Trevor, she whispered, what can it hurt?
The ball was only moments away from its official start and suddenly Edmund appeared to have doubts about exposing his brother. Edmund fondly remembered the days of "the old Dimitri." He only hoped that that man was still living inside of his brother. A few moments later, Dimitri and Gloria arrived. Edmund welcomed Dimitri home to Wildwind. Dimitri smiled and then walked towards Tad and Gillian. With a broad grin on his face, he told them how nice it was to see them again.
In his hotel room, Jim packed up some of his belongings. He then walked over to the closet and hid a suitcase in the back corner of the closet. The suitcase was identical to the one the FBI had found to have traces of plastic explosives on it."
- Soap Central