"Frustrated by another botched encounter with the mystery woman, Tad crumpled up the sketch he'd commissioned of her and tossed it into the trashcan. Liza observed him and told him that he shouldn't have thrown the sketch away. She told Tad that he'd become obsessed with the mystery woman, a charge Tad flatly denied. Liza didn't say that this obsession was a bad thing. She hinted that Tad's obsession might have been brought on by his need to fit all the puzzle pieces together. Tad finally admitted that he might have a slight obsession with the woman. His admission made him realize that he was too old to have silly crushes on women. Oddly, Liza fanned the flames of his obsession. She told him that he'd obviously been drawn to the mystery woman---perhaps for a reason. Maybe, she said cocking her head to one side, this mystery woman is "the one" for Tad. Tad was confused by Liza's sudden turn around. Just a few hours before, Liza had been telling him that his hunt was pointless. Liza reached under her desk and then plopped the telephone directory on top of the desk. Tad was perplexed by Liza's actions. How would they find a woman whose name they didn't know? "Look under 'M' for mystery woman?" he asked. Liza thoughtfully deduced that the mystery woman would need a place to stay. She suggested that they try calling all of the motels and boarding houses in town and asking if anyone named Joy was registered there.
At Myrtle's, Jake had just finished up professing his love to Allie for the first time. Allie reacted in silent shock. Jake worried that his comments had turned Allie off. That wasn't the case. Allie's eyes welled with tears as she told Jake that she was upset---but not for the reason he thought. She told him that she wanted to be the first one to express her feelings. "I love you too," she said softly. With their love for each other now out in the open, the two shared a passionate kiss. Their romance was cut short by a call from Tad asking if a beautiful woman was staying at the boarding house. Jake looked longingly into Allie's eyes and replied, "Yes." He hung up the phone and returned his attention to the woman standing before him. They resumed kissing, but soon Allie realized that they more pressing problems to deal with. She told Jake that they needed to figure out a plan to prove that Jake did not try to kill Adam. The simple solution would be to get David to confess to his crime, but that wasn't going to happen. Jake told Allie that they need to trick David into trying to kill Adam again. Allie's jaw nearly hit the floor. He explained that they really wouldn't put Adam's life on the line. Somehow, he said pensively, they needed to make David believe that by killing Adam he'd have free access to Allie.
Belinda and Miles shared a drink before Belinda had to run and get ready for her big trip. Miles excused himself to call a cab for Belinda after she turned down his offer for a ride. While he was gone, Trevor entered the lounge and invited himself to Belinda's table. They two made small talk about Belinda's big trip to the West Coast to negotiate a mega-merger. While they talked, Janet entered. Belinda and Trevor's hellos were ignored by Janet as she hurried to her table. Belinda accused Trevor of causing strife with Janet, but he assured her that he'd done no such thing. Their split, he explained, was a mutual agreement. Belinda wanted to get to the bottom of the problems, so she got up and walked over to Janet's table. Janet tried to pass off her story about her ex-husband returning to her life, but Belinda saw through the lie. Janet confessed that she'd made up the story because of a promise she'd made to Natalie. Belinda scratched her head and, at the risk of stating the obvious, informed Janet that her sister was dead. Dead, perhaps---but not gone. She told Belinda that Natalie had helped guide Tim home the night he ran away. Janet pulled some envelopes out of her purse. She told Belinda that she'd been practicing writing like her ex-husband. The envelopes contained love letters that Axel had written for her. Of course, Axel never even lifted his pen... Janet wrote them herself. She asked Belinda to take the letters with her and mail them once she landed in California. Belinda refused. She told Janet that she cared too much about Trevor to hurt his feelings that way. Miles returned and told Belinda that it was time to leave. Once they'd left, Trevor invited himself to Janet's table. He told her that he'd missed seeing her. Janet changed the subject and asked Trevor how Amanda had enjoyed their skiing trip. Trevor answered the question, but quickly got back on topic. Janet told Trevor that she had to run to her room and wait for a phone call from Axel. Trevor ordered her to stay put, saying that Axel could call back later. He told her that they need to lay down some guidelines. If she is to have visitation with Amanda, Axel has to drop by the Dillon House and meet Trevor. Janet told Trevor that Axel would never be around when she was visiting with Amanda. Trevor claimed that Axel could make a surprise appearance. No matter how she tried to get out of it, Trevor told her that she had to abide by his rules.
At the Pine Cone, Liza and Tad convinced a motel worker that they were searching for a woman who'd runaway from her family. Liza tossed in a promise of a twenty-thousand dollar reward and a chance to appear on The Cutting Edge and the man led them to the room where Joy was staying. They knew they were in the right spot when they found a picture of Joy on the dresser. The photo looked quite old. In the photo, the blonde-haired mystery woman wore "farm clothing" and looked like she was standing in front of an old barn. The man returned to his post in the office leaving Tad and Liza to discuss what would happen next. Thinking that Joy would bolt if she returned to her room and found two strangers there, Tad told Liza that she should return to the station. Liza didn't want to miss out on the opportunity to see Tad's mystery woman, but she knew that he was probably right and agreed to leave.
The elusive woman was not planning on returning to the seedy motel any time soon. She put on quite a performance for Adam. A little more information on her identity was revealed in Adam's frantic babbling. He remembered the fragrance that Joy used to air---he smelled it in the night air. And the music that was playing was the music that was playing "the night you..." Adam never finished his sentence. He asked the apparition why she'd returned to haunt him. He told the image that he'd always loved her and that he "did what [he] had to do." The ambiguity of the statement echoed in the crisp air. Stuart's voice called out from inside, but by the time Stuart reached the patio the ghostly image had disappeared along all traces of her presence. Stuart didn't believe Adam when he said that Joy had visited. Stuart escorted his brother into the house with the promise of making him some warm milk. Adam sat on the sofa and had flashbacks of his prior encounter with Joy. He heard the sound of animals scurrying in the walls. He picked up a paperweight and tossed it at the wall. The force of the object crashing against the wall sent boards and plaster flaying throughout the passageway that was hidden behind the wall. The boards toppled down on top of Joy, knocking her out cold. Adam got on the phone and called the groundskeeper. He asked that he hire an exterminator to get rid of the rodents that had infested his house once and for all! Inside the wall, Joy remained unconscious."
- Soap Central