"With Lily safely on the mend in Ohio, Jack returned to his home in Pine Valley. The first stop on his return tour was Wildwind. There, Jack was more interested in whether or not he'd gotten any calls than in catching up with his sister, Kit. Kit correctly assumed that Jack was anticipating a call about the search for Ryan. Kit was concerned that Jack might somehow jeopardize his career by pursuing Ryan so relentlessly. Jack smiled and assured Kit that he would not get into trouble for doing his job. Something she'd heard Hayley mentioned weighed heavily on Kit's mind. "What if you're going after the wrong man?" Kit asked nervously. Jack looked at his sister and asked her if she'd realized that Ryan had not attacked her. Kit shook her head signaling that she was still certain that Ryan had raped her. She was concerned that the DNA evidence may have been "compromised." Jack was aware of what his sister was hinting: Had he somehow rigged the DNA test? Kit was ashamed of her assertion and told Jack that he didn't have to answer her. Jack wanted to answer his sister's question. He swore that he was in no way involved in a genetic over-up and was certain that no one had altered the results to gain his favor. When he learned that Hayley had gotten Kit thinking about a possible conspiracy, Jack became quite angry. Discouraged, Jack admitted that others in town might think the same thing. Kit wondered how she'd stray so far off the path from which she'd been raised. Kit criticized the way in which she'd taken shortcuts to get what she wanted. Jack did not blame Kit for any of her past mistakes. He told her that Kit Fisher had made those mistakes---and that the woman before him now was Christine Montgomery.
Dixie and Braden returned to Cortlandt Manor. Making the videotape released a great deal of weight from Dixie's shoulders, but she now seemed more convinced that her death was imminent. Braden scolded her for speaking in the past tense and did his best to convince Dixie that she could still make a full recovery. Opal wandered into the room and asked if either Braden or Dixie had seen Tad---or Adrian or Palmer for that matter. Dixie and Braden both shook their heads. Braden offered to take a quick trip to Palmer's favorite haunts to see if he could locate his multi-millionaire boss. Opal was heartbroken over her sons' disappearance. Dixie comforted Opal, saying that Tad and Adrian were still in shock over her big announcement. In time, she said confidently, both Tad and Adrian would understand why Opal had made the decisions she'd made. Opal was surprised that Dixie understood her reasons so well. "It took courage," Dixie smiled. A good mother, Dixie said, should have both courage and love in her heart. Speaking of love, Opal asked Dixie why she and Tad were not yet back together. Dixie took a deep breath and told Opal that she believed that the fates were against a reunion with Tad. Opal sensed that something was bothering Dixie, but Dixie wouldn't open up. Opal smiled and thanked Dixie for being there to listen to her rambling. Before leaving, she reminded Dixie that she was only a holler away should she need a heart-to-heart talk.
David was mildly amused by Gillian's costume. The princess sternly informed David that her disguise was not to be taken lightly. Gillian skipped her usual banter, immediately telling the doctor that she needed money---a lot of money. David rolled his eyes and quipped that he was "not an ATM machine." Gillian turned to pleading to get what she wanted. She told David that she needed at least one hundred thousand dollars to plan an escape with Ryan. By now, David had gotten good at playing the part of a scorned lover. He told Gillian that he could not possibly help fund her escape with the man she'd chosen over him. Gillian told David that their relationship would never have lasted and swore that she did not mean to hurt him. "Soon, some lucky woman will catch you," she said softly. David rewound to the last time Gillian needed money. He said that he's experienced the "most meaningful moment" of his life when making love to Gillian. Gillian sighed and bowed her head. She asked David if he would give her the money if she slept with him. David smiled slightly and told Gillian that he did not want her to feel obligated to sleep with him. Gillian lifted her head and proudly said that she would sleep with David if it meant that she would be able to save the life of the man she loved. David, who had turned his back to Gillian so that he could hide his laughter, turned to face Gillian and announced that he would give her the cash---and she wouldn't even have to sleep with him. David claimed that he felt good to know that true love still existed in the universe. He easily duped Gillian into telling him where she and Ryan were hiding. Gillian asked David to deposit the money in a hollow tree by the lake. That way, she explained, she could observe the drop off from the shack in which she and Ryan were hiding. Gillian thanked David for his assistance and gave him a peck on the cheek to show her sincerity. After Gillian left, David picked up his phone and mulled the idea of calling the police. He decided against the idea, commenting that he'd allow Gillian to have one more night with the man she loved.
Adrian hauled Palmer to a cabin in the middle of nowhere where he tied him to a wooden chair. Palmer was noticeably frightened, but he turned to making sarcastic remarks to hide his terror. He told Adrian that they should team up against Opal. After all, "the old hag" had deserted Adrian. Adrian crouched down in front of Palmer and angrily told him never to speak badly about his mother. "The only thing she's done is give birth to you," snapped Palmer. Adrian told Palmer that he would be leaving town soon---but not before he got Palmer to sign divorce papers giving Opal half of everything he owned. "Horse feather!" Palmer snarled. He then commented that people would be "ice skating in Hades" before he signed over his assets to Opal. Adrian was interrupted by a phone call from his superior. The conversation became very tense with Adrian shouting, "That is not acceptable." Adrian smashed his phone against the floor and began destroying everything in his path. Adrian sat down in front of Palmer and told him that he'd lost his job because of the National Intruder story Palmer had submitted. Palmer cringed in his seat and begged Adrian not to kill him. Adrian promised that no harm would come to the man if he signed the divorce papers. Palmer wasn't happy at all, but if it meant that he wouldn't be hurt... well, signing the papers wasn't such a bad thing. In the back of his mind he had to figure that he could somehow fight the divorce agreement. Once he'd signed on the dotted line, Palmer asked that he be untied. Adrian smiled and told Palmer that he'd do no such thing. Palmer was fearful that a bear would come along and eat him. "You're too scrawny and sour," sassed Adrian. Palmer wiggled and shook trying desperately to free himself, but he had no success.
Adam watched Dixie's videotape in fixated horror. "You're too young!" he yelled. "This can't happen to you." Adam was forced to scramble to hit the stop button as Junior entered the room. The young boy was having trouble sleeping, but he wasn't quite sure why. Nothing at school troubled the boy. Something about his mother's behavior, however, was causing him some concern. "She's sad lately," Junior said softly. Adam nodded his head and told his son that he was very observant to notice the change in his mother's attitude. Junior wondered if his mother was sick. Rather than hide the truth from Junior, Adam came right out and admitted that Dixie was having health problems. "She may not get well," Adam said almost coldly. Adam did, however, vow to get the top physicians in the country working to nurse Dixie back to health. He hugged his now sobbing son and promised him that he'd be there for him every step along the way.
The sound of barking dogs sounded in the distance. Slowly but surely, the barking got louder. Ryan knew that the police were closing in on his location. He saw only one way to escape---the hole in the ice. Ryan took a deep breath and jumped into the icy water. Seconds later, two police officers entered the shack and searched for signs of the fugitive. They saw nothing and heard nothing---and no one would have thought to peer into the ice fishing hole. They left within minutes, but that was minutes too long for the submerged Ryan. Ryan somehow managed to remain conscious and crawled out of the hole. Hypothermia had begun to set in and Ryan collapsed to the ground. Gillian returned and found her husband laying on the floor, his teeth chattering furiously. She immediately went into action, stripping Ryan of his wet clothing and wrapping him in a blanket. Gillian hysterically pleaded with her husband to hang on. In the morning, she sniffled, they would be on their way to freedom."
- Soap Central