"Derek was confused as to why Zach refused to defend himself in the face of the accusations that had been made against him. Zach implied that there was no need to do so, as there was an eyewitness that had stepped forward. Furious, Derek stormed out of the room, allowing Ethan access. Moving to the doorframe from his position where he had watched through the window, Ethan smugly regarded his father. Zach asked what Ethan thought about how things were going -- he asked if it would be better than watching him burn in the fire. Ethan replied that he had promised a long, slow punishment -- and he kept his word, as only a Ramsey would.
Just then, Ryan stormed into the room and, as Derek watched from the other side of the two-way glass, demanded a confirmation from Zach that he had been the one that had poisoned Greenlee. Instead of answering directly, Zach deferred to Ethan -- as Ethan was the one who had made the accusation. Before Ethan could say anything, Ryan asked if Ethan had actually seen Zach commit the crime or if he was just throwing accusations around to see what would stick. Ethan swore that he had seen Zach commit the crime, and at that point, Ryan wanted to know everything that had happened. Ethan handed the ball back to his father, saying that Zach should be the one supplying the details.
Ryan asked Ethan to leave the room so that he could talk to Zach alone. Once the trio became a duo, Ryan went on about how Edmund had been a good man and how two children had lost their father and Maria was a widow because of what Zach had done. Ryan insisted on an explanation -- he demanded to know how Zach could kill that kind of love. He asked if it had been something planned out, or if it had been something that had happened in the spur of the moment. Zach only offered a simple response -- that he understood more than Ryan thought he did.
Zach was confused as to why, when the police were about to lock up the man responsible for a slew of recent crimes, Ryan wasn't out celebrating. Ryan responded that his friend had just died, and he wanted answers as to why. Not about to admit to anything, Zach changed the subject and started talking about how he liked Ryan, but he couldn't quite figure Ryan out. Ryan said that he was actually a simple guy -- "what you see is what you get."
Zach, believing there was more than met the eye, talked about how Ryan had to have a committee in his brain, and everyone was talking at once. The problems arose when everyone was silent. That was when his deepest fears were allowed to reach the surface. He then told Ryan that he could see that Ryan had never learned to bluff. He could read all over Ryan's face that he was dying to know the cards that Zach was holding. The problem, according to Zach, was that Ryan hadn't anted up. And the reason was that Ryan was holding all face cards -- and they were all the faces of people that he knew.
Frustrated that he couldn't get a straight answer, Ryan tried to think of a way to get the answers that he needed. Zach then suggested that when Ryan had been shot, perhaps he had not been the target. Ryan had no reason to believe Zach's alternative theory -- not with his hired gun running around and his handprint on the shovel. Zach agreed that the hit man theory existed and could be valid and then offered up something else to consider: the attacks on him and his wife could have been random, but the chances were slim. Ryan, tiring of the verbal runaround and the lessons in probability, demanded answers one more time.
Orderlies rolled Edmund's body away at the hospital as Maria tearfully looked on. Brooke offered to take her home, but Maria said that she couldn't leave until she found out the truth. She informed Brooke that Zach had told her Edmund had been able to walk. She also confessed that Zach had told her the only reason Edmund had gotten back together with her was so that Zach couldn't have her.
Knowing the truth and trying to keep it hidden, Brooke insisted that wasn't the time to investigate such things. Brooke felt that Maria needed to take that time for herself and her kids and say her goodbyes to her husband. Maria insisted that she couldn't do any of that with all of the lies and unanswered questions that were floating around her brain. Just then, Manny, Edmund's physical therapist, arrived, telling Maria that he had just heard the news and extending his condolences. Maria was thankful but distracted.
Maria asked Manny if Edmund had been able to walk, and Manny insisted that his patient hadn't made that much progress. While Edmund had worked very hard on his recovery, he had only been at a point where he had been getting some sensation and twinges back. Manny went on to say that if Edmund had been able to walk, Manny would have known about it. He left, and Brooke once again offered to take Maria home, since she had her answer. Once again, Maria declined, saying that she wouldn't let Zach spit on her husband's grave.
Later, back at the station, Maria barged in, demanding to know where they were. She saw Ryan and Zach through the window, and even though Ethan tried to stop her, she burst into the interrogation room. She demanded to see Derek so that she could give her statement -- she wanted to see Zach locked up so he could "rot in hell." She ranted and raved that Zach was the one who should be dead and how she wouldn't let him spew filthy lies about her husband. She was intent on making the charges stick.
Derek entered, asked if Maria was all right, and then went off to find an officer to take her statement. Ethan walked Maria back into the hall, leaving only Ryan and Zach in the room again. Ryan admitted that he was amazed at Zach's gift for deserting people -- the one person that had stuck by his side and explained everything away couldn't stand him. Ryan went back to demanding answers from Zach, but Zach retorted that what Ryan really wanted was a solution. Zach said that what Ryan wanted was something that would allow him to wrap up his life neatly so that he could go back to being normal.
However, Zach continued, he was unwilling to deprive Ryan of the journey that had ended with Zach under arrest. He went further and said that one day the truth would be revealed, and he couldn't wait until it hit Ryan over the head. Zach then admitted that he blamed Ryan for how Ethan was -- if he hadn't insisted on the DNA test, Ethan would still be the person that he had been: honest and kind. However, because of Ryan's constant interference, Zach knew that Ryan had caused more damage than ever imagined. Done talking, he rose from his chair and knocked on the two-way glass, asking someone to enter so that he could give his statement.
Derek then entered to take Zach's statement, but Ethan, Maria, and Ryan were still in the room. Derek preferred to proceed in private, but Zach announced that he had already been read his rights, and he had nothing to hide. He then admitted to killing Edmund and being guilty of all the charges lodged against him.
Shortly thereafter, Derek fitted handcuffs onto Zach and started to lead him away. As he started to walk in front of his son, his ex-lover, and the former head of his namesake corporation -- he stopped. He asked why they looked so down -- they were getting the answer that they wanted, that they had prayed for. He told them that it was the answer each and every one of them deserved -- and that he was going to enjoy every minute of it.
David returned home from a jog and found Tad in his cabin, packing his things. Furious, David insisted that Tad needed to get out of his house. Tad didn't bend so easily, and he informed the doctor that he wanted David out of Pine Valley. David said that if Tad was upset about the fact that Krystal was doing time, he needed to have his tantrum elsewhere. Tad revealed that his presence had nothing to do with Krystal, Babe, or either of his sons. It had to do with Zach Slater.
David, puzzled, said that he had nothing to do with Zach. On the contrary, Tad admitted that he blamed David for Edmund's death. If David hadn't given Maria the drug that had erased her memory, Zach wouldn't have ever arrived in town. Tad rambled on about how David had either slept with or drugged half the town, not to mention the marriages he had wrecked: Gillian, Dixie, and his own. David took it all in stride as Tad continued to list David's transgressions; because of him, his poor daughter had lost her son to JR, and her mother was doing time in the state penitentiary.
Finally, David had heard enough, and he told Tad to shut up. He said that Tad was simply a windbag that sat on the sidelines and never did anything. He went on to say that Tad wasn't the king of the world -- he was not even the head of his freak show family.
Once again, David tried to get Tad out of his house, but Tad insisted on staying a few minutes longer, in hopes of convincing David to leave town for good. It wouldn't happen, according to David, because he had a daughter who loved him and a grandson who needed him -- and he wouldn't leave them. Tad thought David would be doing Babe a favor by leaving, but David wouldn't leave her to go toe-to-toe with the two men Tad had helped raise.
Tad didn't understand why David was making a stupid mistake by staying. He followed by saying that he hoped that the earth opened up and swallowed him whole. David mused aloud that divine justice was a fairy tale and that in real life, the good guys got the short end of the stick while the bad guys multiplied. With that, Tad took his leave.
Kendall showed up at the Fusion offices and found Greenlee staring blankly at a piece of paper. Kendall announced that while it had been a horrible day because of Edmund's death, Greenlee should be happy because Zach had been arrested for everything -- Edmund's murder, Ryan's shooting, and Greenlee's poisoning. If Maria was right, Greenlee and Ryan could rest easy and go back to their happy married life. Greenlee finally spoke up and posed the question: "What if Maria is wrong?"
Kendall was absolutely convinced of Zach's guilt. If it had been anyone other than Maria Grey pointing the finger, she might still have doubts. However, with that and the fact that Ethan was an eyewitness, Kendall believed there was nothing stopping Greenlee from relaxing and being with Ryan. Greenlee didn't agree because she still had that evil, dark feeling about Jonathan. Kendall didn't understand why Greenlee couldn't just be happy and hold on to the one ray of sunshine -- she had gotten through the whole mess.
v Greenlee told Kendall that even if Maria was right and Zach was responsible, that didn't mean she was out of the woods with Jonathan. The tone in his voice when he had spoken to her last -- about the person poisoning her not doing it right the first time -- told her that there was still something wrong with him. Kendall agreed and said that while Jonathan might still be a woman-hitting freak, he wasn't the person who had poisoned her, and that was one less thing for her to worry about. Greenlee said that if Jonathan hadn't done it, maybe he wished that he had -- and maybe next time he'd get lucky.
Frustrated at Greenlee's seeming unwillingness to lighten up, Kendall demanded that Greenlee tell her what else was bothering her. Greenlee acted dismissively, but Kendall wouldn't give up. She announced that she couldn't wait for another one of Greenlee's meltdowns before she found out what was wrong. Finally, Greenlee caved in and admitted that the problem was Ryan. Kendall felt that Ryan would be practically doing the dance of joy, knowing that the culprit had been arrested.
Greenlee, slightly exasperated, told Kendall that beliefs like that were why she had lost Ryan. She went on to say that Ryan was all about defending his family, the people he loved, with everything he had in him. Even when the truth was evident to everyone else, Ryan would stand by a loved one and protect them. They had both seen his reaction when people went against him -- for example, his fury when he had found out they had hired a detective.
Greenlee said that Ryan's greatest fear, deep down, was that Jonathan really was guilty, but he would never admit it. She couldn't go against him again for fear of inciting that fury. Having heard enough, Kendall grabbed her things and handed Greenlee her coat and purse. She dragged Greenlee off to find out some answers once and for all.
Kendall and Greenlee showed up at David's cabin and found him rustling around in boxes. They banged on the door, and although he tried to ignore them, they announced that they could see him through the window. Exasperated, he went to the door and quipped that if they were selling cookies, he didn't want any. They barged in uninvited, and he asked what they wanted. They told him that they weren't leaving until he hooked them up with one of his new designer drugs.
David thought Kendall and Greenlee were kidding, but Greenlee said they wanted a drug guaranteed to draw out the truth. Kendall thought that providing the truth serum would be a fraction of the payback for what he had done to Bianca. Greenlee followed by saying that either he gave them what they wanted, or they would start experimenting on their own. David started to agree, but he said that there was a condition. Without hearing what it was, the girls both agreed. Surprised at the sudden consensus, David tried to explain the dangers of using an untested drug, which wasn't approved by the FDA, on people.
Instead of really hearing what David was saying, Kendall and Greenlee dismissed him with a reminder that he had done it to Maria and then a boatload of people with Libidozone. He asked who the drug was for, and jumping to conclusions, he said that if it was for Ryan and if he had hurt Greenlee, he'd beat the truth out of Ryan himself. They told him that it didn't matter who it was for. The problem was that they had tried to ask the target directly, and they had hired a detective. An answer was always uncovered, and it was always a lie. They needed something that would get them an answer that would help a lot of people.
David finally agreed to make the serum, but he needed them to agree to the condition: if their target started to have any adverse reactions, they had to make sure he got to the emergency room immediately and had his stomach pumped. They tried too late to be shady and asked how David knew their target was male. David smirked and told them that women knew when other women were lying. It was men they had trouble with. Realizing that what he said was true, they agreed to David's terms.
Jonathan was hanging out at the bar at the Valley Inn and betting money on a trivia question with the bartender. The bartender, although trying to stall for time, seemed genuinely stumped. Simone approached the two men and, having overheard the question, answered it effortlessly and took the money. She ordered a drink and took a seat at a nearby table. Jonathan, duly impressed, observed her for a moment and then took her drink over to her.
Simone, easily dragged in by slightly charming ways, was impressed by his quick compliments of her. He admitted that it was not so easy to find someone to talk to -- most people ran away screaming. She invited him to join her. He made a point of ordering a soda and then continued with his flattery. He told her that she should be more in charge of things at Fusion and that she was underappreciated. He recalled the startup days, with guerilla marketing and her edge. He told her she hadn't lost that edge, and she glowed under his flow of words.
A short time later, Simone decided that it was time for her to go -- and Jonathan thanked her for spending time with him. He told her that she was the only one who understood what Maggie had meant to him, and she admitted that she got that he had loved her. She started to go, and he asked if she would have dinner with him sometime. She pondered it briefly and then agreed. He suggested their date be that evening, and she agreed to that as well.
Brooke showed up at Tempo and walked around Edmund's office, looking at pictures of happier times. She took a seat at his desk and looked at the last thing he'd had up on his laptop. Tad walked in, having tracked her down to see how she was doing. She immediately asked him what his stance was on secrets. After all that he had recently lived through, Tad told her that even though one thought they were doing the right thing, trying to protect someone -- in the end, it was best to just tell the truth right away. Keeping secrets did more damage than good.
Brooke told Tad that she had gone through all of that in her mind already and still couldn't decide on the right thing to do. Tad asked about the specifics of what was going on -- and she confessed that before he had died, Edmund had told her that he had been leading Maria on. He hadn't really wanted to reconcile with her -- he had been building her up with the plan of making her pay in the end for betraying him. Brooke then said that the man Maria was mourning and the man she had last spoken to were two different people. The Edmund they had known was kind and loving, but he was no more -- and Maria didn't have a clue about that truth.
Tad thought that Brooke should go to someone else for advice, but she had made her choice in him. Tad told her that all he knew was that Edmund had been a good man and a good friend -- and Tad couldn't judge him. Brooke countered that it was not about judgment -- it was about doing what was right. She asked if he was going to help her -- and he told her that he had an answer for her, but she was not going to like it.
Tad went on to tell Brooke that she was on her own with regard to the decision. However, what he did know was that whatever decision she made, he would be right there with her, supporting her all the way. Just then, it hit Brooke again that Edmund was really gone, and Tad moved in to hold and comfort her."
- Soap Central