"Due to coverage of the Senate Trial of President Clinton, only scattered portions of today's episode were broadcast." - comptondetroit
"At Belinda's apartment, Adrian and Belinda made love for what could be the last time in many, many months. "I swear I'll never forget you," Adrian whispered softly in Belinda's ear. Belinda asked the secret agent how long they'd be apart. Adrian closed his eyes for a few seconds. When he opened them, he simply replied that it could be a very long time. Adrian rummaged through his bag for a gift he wanted to give to his lover. On a gold chain, hung the most curious of charms----a bullet. Adrian informed Belinda that the bullet was the first bullet that had ever been fired at him. The bullet would have punctured his heart had he not been carrying a pocket-size Bible in his chest pocket. With his departure only hours away, Adrian wanted to drop by Cortlandt Manor to say goodbye to Opal.
Across town at Cortlandt Manor, Dixie sang merrily in the shower. Tad entered the bathroom wearing a pair of headphones. His music blasting in his ears, Tad had no way of knowing that Dixie was in the shower. Oddly, he missed out on the tufts of steam streaming across the bathroom. Dixie turned off the water and still kept singing. She wrapped herself in a towel and moved around the bathroom looking for lotions. She noticed that things were slightly out of place. She looked across the bathroom and screamed. The piercing shriek sent Tad jumping into the air. He flew backwards several paces and rammed into the doorknob. The former lovers bickered back and forth (and simultaneously). They each believed that the other had barged into their private bathroom. Then they realized that by the luck of the draw, they were sharing adjoining bedrooms. Actually, there was no luck involved. They both determined that Opal had purposely assigned them adjoining bathrooms in another of her matchmaking efforts. Dixie offered to move to a smaller room down the hall so that they would not have to share the same bathroom. Tad headed back to his bedroom, but he was unable to open the door. A look if mild panic overtook his face as he walked to the door to Dixie's room. That, too, was jammed. Dixie didn't believe Tad and tried out both doors for herself. Apparently, Dixie's extremely long hot shower had warped the hundred year old doors. Tad chided that Dixie always had taken awfully long showers. The doors would probably open on their own in an hour or so, so it was just a matter of waiting. Dixie suggested that they use vitamins to play checkers on the tiled floor. Tad had a better game: Truth or Dare. This version wasn't quite along the same lines as the one made famous by Madonna---it was more of a game of truth telling. Tad told Dixie that he wanted to know what she meant when she said that the reason she did not show up on the Statler Building rooftop was "complicated." Dixie quickly snapped that she meant that their conversations were complicated. Dixie searched for something that she could use to pry open the doors. She found a nailfile and tried to sand down the warped wood, but she had little luck. Tad snatched the file away from Dixie and prepared to show off his private investigator skills. But Tad never made it to the door. He walked to the toiler and dropped the file into the bowl. Then he flushed the toilet and waved goodbye to the file. Now, he said, there was nothing to do but wait. He again told Dixie that he knew that there was something that she wanted to tell him, or rather something that she wanted him to know.
On her way from plotting with Gillian, Hayley was detained by Mateo. He asked her where she'd disappeared to. Hayley lamely replied that she'd been looking in on the kids. Matt then asked her if she'd seen Raquel lately. "It's not my job to look after her," Hayley growled. Mateo went on his way and Hayley continued on to the next step of her plan. Gillian, meanwhile, flagged down her grandmother and told the duchess that Ryan needed her help. Hayley arrived in the room where Ryan was being held and asked the police officer for a few minutes alone with Ryan. The officer explained that he had to remain in the room per Derek's orders. Hayley walked across the room, her arms outstretched. She gave Ryan a big hug, telling him that she was so sorry that such bad things had happened to him. Then, she pulled him close and whispered in his ears. "Gillian and I have a plan," she said softly. What Hayley was about to say next would either sink or liberate her friend. The whole plan was contingent upon Ryan being able to decipher Hayley's code. She seemingly randomly remarked that she'd just had a conversation with Marian and Stuart. Marian, she claimed, had offered Ryan her support. Then, she told Ryan that Marian and Stuart were planning their honeymoon. She asked Ryan if she remembered the time Marian had went away for a few weeks thanks to her travel agent, Lee. The cryptic remark was a reference to Marian's abduction at the hands of Lee Hawkins. She continued on, asking Ryan if he remembered where Marian had ended up. That cozy little nook, she said, was probably still available. The nook---while anything but cozy---was an empty vault in the Marick mausoleum. Suddenly, a loud scream sounded from the parlor. Edmund, Kit, Gillian, Mateo, Raquel, and several police officers raced to the parlor to see what was going on. Eugenia> clutched her throat and exclaimed that someone had stolen her necklace. Eugenia blathered on about the priceless Andrassy jewels for several minutes before Edmund realized that something wasn't quite right. Eugenia had no Andrassy jewels---her son had lost them all in casinos. "Ryan!" Edmund growled. The police and Edmund raced to check on Ryan. As expected, Ryan was nowhere to be found. Derek angrily roasted Eugenia, threatening to haul her off to jail as an accomplice in Ryan's breakout. Eugenia claimed that he had no idea where Ryan had gone. Edmund nodded his head and said that he believed the duchess. Mateo became extremely uncomfortable when one of the police officers noted that Hayley was the last person to be seen with Ryan. Raquel approached Mateo and hinted that she might somehow be responsible for what had happened. She told Mateo about the mix-up with her rum and cola and said that she'd heard that alcoholics can go berserk even with a slight mouthful of liquor. Mateo shook his head and assured Raquel that Hayley had not fallen off the wagon.
Down at mausoleum, the police search came up empty. Suddenly, a car sped out of the parking lot at nearly sixty miles-and-hour. The police took chase believing that they were hot on Ryan's tail. In the speeding car, a foot pressed down on the accelerator. "C'mon suckers! Take the bait," Hayley sneered.
Back at the mausoleum, Ryan and Gillian waited until the coast was clear before crawling out of the empty vault. Ryan urged Gillian to go back to the house. Once there, Gillian was asked to tell the police that she'd tried to stop Ryan from fleeing. Gillian looked into her husband's eyes and told him that she would follow him wherever he went; she was not going to let him runaway and leave her behind. Ryan told Gillian that he loved her and then they kissed. Hand in hand, they walked out of the mausoleum.
In bed, Opalstared at a picture of Frank Dawson, Adrian's father. She spoke softly to the picture. Adrian, Opal commented, reminded her of Frank. Frank had once stepped in to help her in a difficult time with Ray Gardner. Now, Adrian was helping her with Palmer. Palmer entered the room and asked Opal who she was talking to. He assumed that Opal was hiding someone under the bed. Opal heaved a book at Palmer, but missed her mark by a mile. Palmer claimed that he'd dropped by the bedroom to pick up a Picasso painting that Opal had given him for his birthday. Opal originally argued that she didn't want Palmer to get his hands on the artwork because it might disappear before it could be counted amongst their mutual assets. Palmer told Opal that gifts should remain the recipient's property. Opal smiled happily and said that she'd agree to that. Palmer had given Opal a house in Maui on one of her birthdays. That house, she smiled, was now all hers. Palmer wished Opal well and told her that she should spend more time at the house---particularly during typhoon season. Opal counted by telling her husband that she hopes his Picasso "brightens up [his] room in hell." Palmer filed out of the room, but a knock on the door presumably sounded his return. Opal answered the knock, asking "the blood sucking leech" what he wanted this time. This wasn't the leech---it was Adrian. Adrian was worried that Palmer had hurt Opal, but Opal assured him that she was fine. Opal praised Adrian as a "fine young man" and told him that she'd missed him dearly. She also told Adrian that she approved of his relationship with Belinda. She went on to say that she hoped Adrian would never forget her and his other friends in Pine Valley. She pulled Adrian close and gave him a hug. As they embraced, the bedroom door swung open and a photographer appeared. He snapped off several pictures as Palmer smiled arrogantly. The photographer raced of and Adrian followed closely behind, hoping to get the film away from the cameraman. Opal blasted Palmer for hiring a photographer, saying that any photographs could blow Adrian's cover and expose him to all kinds of danger. Palmer began to sniffle. "I loved you and you broke my heart," he sobbed. He then began to laugh devilishly. He told Opal that he could be a convincing liar---and warned her that he would do whatever he had to do in court to make the judge side with him. He pressed Opal over and over again about her adulterous relationship with Adrian. Opal repeatedly tried to explain that Adrian was not her lover, but Palmer would not relent. Opal didn't deny caring for Adrian, saying that she loved him with all her heart. Palmer argued that Opal planned on divorcing him, taking his money, and then running off with her younger lover. By now, Opal was worked into a frenzy. Her breathing was rapid and tears rolled down her face. "He's not my lover, you idiot! He's my son!" Opal screamed. Adrian's face froze as he stood in the doorway just behind Opal."
- Soap Central