Previously...

James and Stormy tracked down Joel Armitage, then learned that Philip Whitacre has starred in some of the director's porn flicks.  They had Philip arrested, but after finding no evidence that he was the kidnapper, had him released.  Brooke took her misery out on Alex.  Brett confronted Gwen with the detective's report indicating she'd spent time in prison and in a mental hospital for kidnapping and attempted murder.  Gwen agreed to keep quiet about Brett's deeds in exchange for his creating a new, "cleaner" report to present to James.  Kenny and Renee accidentally found a hidden door in the mansion. After the police investigated a set of intricate tunnels linking every room, they found a red handkerchief with Ethan's monogram just outside the nursery.  

Episode 36

"The Case of the Red Handkerchief"

The flashlight shined like a beacon in the dark tunnel as James followed Detective Baines through the hidden passageway.   Forensics experts were peppered up and down the corridor, dusting for fingerprints and examining footprint markings on the floor.

“I’ve read about these old Hollywood mansions in history books,” Detective Baines said as they made their way along the narrow corridor.  “These tunnels were used as pass-throughs for servants so they wouldn’t have to go through the main house.  They could come and go as the pleased, making their way from one end to another and no one would notice.”

“Unbelievable,” James murmured under his breath, gazing around at the cobwebs and dark crevasses. 

Slowly they approached a dead-end that narrowed into a small opening.  Detective Baines reached his gloved hand out and pushed open a small hatch that emptied into the pool house in the back yard.

“The kidnapper could have came and went through here,” he said, leading a startled James into the small building on the far end of the property.  “He wouldn’t even have had to use any of the main entrances to the house.”

James stood in bewilderment, stepping out onto the pool deck and gazing up at the main house.  “I can’t believe this,” he said.  “The tunnels go all the way to the end of the property.  This is remarkable.”

Baines shrugged his shoulders.  “Who owned the house before you?”

“Jonas Lamont,” James replied. 

"Lola Lamont's husband?  The producer?"

James nodded.  "After he died and Lola retired from films I bought the house from her.  No one never mentioned the tunnels.”

“Over the years they were probably used less and less.  Eventually he must have had them sealed off and never thought to tell anyone about them.”

James turned to him and shook his head in confusion.  “But if I didn’t even know about them, how in the hell did the kidnapper know?”

A short while later, they were back up at the house in the library, poring over old servant logs from the archives.  Brooke, Miranda and Brett were standing by, observing with bated breath as they waited for more news.

James climbed atop the ladder and scanned through volumes of old dusty books, pulling another down and placing it on the desk.  He flipped through pages and stopped when he got about halfway through, startled by what he found.

“This diagram outlines the path of the tunnels,” he said as he scanned over a large map of the house and grounds.  “Anyone could have looked at this and knew exactly how to get into the house and to the nursery without being seen.”

“So the kidnapper must be someone in this house,” Brooke said, taking a moment to pause and scan the room slowly.  She immediately thought of Gwen.  Everything kept pointing to her as the main suspect.

“What about the handkerchief?” Brett asked.  “EMB are Ethan’s initials.  It seems to me that we’re standing around here taking guesses when it’s pretty clear who the kidnapper is.”

Brooke shook her head adamantly and gave Brett a cold, threatening stare.  “That’s ridiculous!” she exclaimed.  “Ethan would never do something like that.”  She turned to James and tried to reason with him.  “James, no matter what’s happened, you’re still his uncle and I don’t believe for a minute that he would-”

“Do you want to find your baby or not?” Brett interrupted, filled with irritation.

“Of course I do!  Brett-“

“Then why is every suspect innocent in your eyes?” he continued.  “First you were certain Philip couldn’t have done it, and now Ethan.  Is it just because you slept with both of them so they’re automatically exempt?”

James quickly cut in, his eyes flaring angrily.  “Brett, that’s enough!” he yelled.  “I won’t have you talking to my wife that way!”

Backing down, Brett gave an apologetic nod and slipped his arm around Miranda. 

After a few tense moments of silence, James turned to Brooke and reached his hand out to her.  “Darling, I know it’s difficult to think about, but how else would you explain how Ethan’s handkerchief got into the tunnel outside of the nursery?”

“I don’t know,” she replied, shaking her head in despair.  “I just know that he wouldn’t have taken our baby.”

“He would he if he still believes it’s his,” James countered regretfully.  He hated to bring up the whole mess again but it was necessary.  The lie that Winter Austen perpetuated last summer must still have an impact on Ethan.  He must still believe that Winter was telling the truth about the baby being his.

Miranda fidgeted nervously with her hands, listening to the bickering and developing a splitting headache.  Michael was gone and he was still the only thing people could talk about.

Brooke buried her face in her hands and wept silently.  The irony was that Michael was Ethan’s child.  She was suddenly faced with a horrifying prospect.  If James knew the truth would he still be moving heaven and earth to find him?

“He spent a lot of time here before last summer when things got so messed up,” James continued, desperate to get his wife to listen to reason.  “He could have seen this map and found the tunnels.  You saw him the other night before the premiere.  He was here in the nursery.  He probably got in through the tunnels that night.  He practically called you a liar and said that baby was his.” 

But Brooke didn’t care how bad it looked.  She refused to believe that the man that she once cared for so much would resort to such a heinous act.   There had to be another reason for his handkerchief being found in the tunnels. 

“Would you like us to go pay him a visit?” Detective Baines asked.

James hesitated, looking at Brooke and studying her expression.  He couldn’t let her personal feelings for Ethan cloud his judgment.  The odds were stacked up too high.  He had to follow through.  “Yes,” he finally replied with some reluctance.

Hurt and angry, Brooke turned and raced out of the room and down the hall to the staircase.  She wished James would listen to her gut instincts.  She knew Ethan wasn’t a kidnapper.  But James insisted on thinking the worst of his nephew, instead of directing his suspicions at Gwen.   She didn’t care that the investigation into her background had turned up nothing.  She was still convinced she was hiding something.

“She’ll be okay,” James said back in the library.  “Detective Baines, do you want me to go with you?”

He shook his head.  “We’d better do this by the book.  I’ll call you in a while.”

With that, he motioned to the police officers and led them down the hall to the front doors where they got into the awaiting squad car.

Upstairs, Brooke entered the nursery and felt her eyes explode with tears at the sight of the empty crib.  She wrapped her arms around herself and walked across the room, praying that a miracle would present itself and deliver her baby back into her arms.

But the reality was that the longer it took to find Michael, the less likely it was that they would get him back.  She knew the statistics.  It had been over twenty-four hours and they had no hope. 

Nestling down into the rocking chair with one of his toys, she quickly drifted off to sleep, unaware of the presence just behind her. 

A built-in bookcase along the wall was partially open, acting as a hidden doorway where Gwen hovered, watching Brooke with daunting eyes.  A few minutes later she quietly retreated into the tunnel and closed the door behind her, leaving the bookcase seamlessly flush with the wall.

She turned and walked a few yards down the small dark passageway, re-entering her bedroom through the hidden door in the walk-in closet.

Ethan looked at the clock beside his bed, fully aware that it was well after two in the morning and he wasn’t the least bit tired.  It was impossible to unwind after everything that had happened in the last few days.   He got up and strolled into the living room, switching on the light and turning on the news.

A loud knock at the door sent him jumping to his feet.  His heart pounding, he grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it over his head.  “Who’s there?” he called through the door.

“Mr. Blackthorne, it’s the police.  We’d like to ask you a few questions.”

Warily, Ethan reached a nervous hand out and unbolted the door, pulling it open slowly.  “Can I help you?” 

“I’m Detective Baines,” he said as he held up his badge.  “May I come in?”

Ethan shrugged and reluctantly stood clear of the door.  The detective and a uniformed officer entered the house.  “What’s this about?” he asked.  “It’s kind of late.”

The detective gave him an apologetic smile and surveyed the living room with discerning eyes while the officer went to check the rest of the house.  “It is important, Mr. Blackthorne,” he replied.  After finding nothing out of the ordinary in the room he turned to Ethan and looked at him directly.  “It’s about the kidnapping of Michael Blackthorne.”

“What about it?” Ethan asked.

“So you are aware that the infant was taken from the Blackthorne mansion the night before last?”

Ethan nodded with a frown.  “Of course.  It’s all over the news.  What do you want to ask me about?”

“Where were you the night in question?” he asked.  “Say between eight o’clock and midnight?”

Alarmed, Ethan staggered back a step and folded his arms.  “Why?  I don’t understand.”

Baines met his stare and studied his expression.  “Is it true that you broke into the mansion earlier that evening and Mrs. Blackthorne found you in the nursery with the baby?”

Frowning, Ethan shook his head in aggravation.  “No.  I didn’t break in.  I walked in through kitchen door.”

“Why didn’t you didn’t use the front door?” he asked.  “Were you hoping no one would see you?”

“No,” Ethan replied, growing more and more flustered.  “I mean, I’m not exactly welcome there anymore and I didn’t want to ruffle any feathers so I went in through the back door.   I went up to the nursery because I wanted to see the baby.  He is my cousin.”

Detective Baines narrowed his eyes on him.  “And then Mrs. Blackthorne walked in and asked you to leave, and when you wouldn’t, her husband had to come in and force you out.  Is that right?”

Ethan sighed.  “I was going to leave.  I just-“

“Then you came back later that night, didn’t you?” Baines continued badgering him relentlessly. “While the family was at the premiere of Mr. Blackthorne’s new movie.”

“No,” Ethan responded quickly.

The officer emerged from the back of the house and shook his head.  “It’s all clear,” he said.

Slowly the detective reached into his trench coat and removed the plastic bag containing the red handkerchief.  “Is this yours?” he asked and held up the evidence.

Ethan examined the handkerchief and nodded slowly.  “Yes, it is.”

“But you say you didn’t come back into the house that night?”

“That’s right,” Ethan replied.

Certain that his hunch was right, Detective Baines pocketed the plastic bag and leveled his accusing eyes at him.  “Then how did your handkerchief get into the tunnel by the nursery?”

“Tunnel?"  Ethan asked.  “What are you talking about?”

“You got in through the pool house and accessed the nursery through the tunnels, took the baby, and exited the same way.  Isn’t that what happened?”

Ethan shook his head.  “No, you’re crazy.  I didn’t take that baby.”

Baines’ eyes shifted to the sofa for a split second, eying a small object shoved between the cushions.  He leaned over and picked up the small plush baby rattle.  “What have we got here?” he asked, shaking the toy at Ethan.  “You look a little grown up for a toy like this.”

Feeling defeated, Ethan slapped his hands to his side and bit his lip.  “I took it from the nursery,” he said.  “I just wanted something to make me feel close to the baby.  Like I said, I’m not exactly welcome in that house anymore.”

“Where is the baby now?” Baines asked directly.

“I don’t know,” Ethan said.  “I told you I didn’t take him.”

Motioning to the officer, Baines sighed with exasperation.  “Okay, we’ll do this the hard way,” he began.  “You’re under arrest for the kidnapping of Michael Blackthorne.  You have the right to remain silent.  You have the right to an attorney…”

Ethan shook his head in disbelief as the officer placed a pair of handcuffs on his wrists and tightened them securely.

When the sun came up hours later, James made his way down the stairs and started out the front door when Stormy came straggling inside. 

“Son, are you just getting home?” James asked, noting the bags under Stormy’s eyes and the crinkled clothes he’d been wearing since the day before.  “Where have you been?”

“Staking out Whitacre’s apartment,” Stormy replied, wanting nothing more than to take a long hot shower and a quick nap.  “I spent the night tailing him and then waiting outside in my car for him to make a move.”

“And?” James asked.

Stormy shook his head with regret.  “I don’t know, Dad.  If Philip Whitacre did take Michael, he doesn’t have him anymore.  The only thing I can think of is that he’s paying someone to look out for him until he can make a clean getaway.”

James pondered the idea for a minute and then shook his head.  “Well, maybe and maybe not.  The police arrested Ethan last night.”

“Ethan?” Stormy exclaimed with pronounced amazement.  “Why?”

“It’s a long story,” James said.  “Brett and Miranda will fill you in.  I’m on my way downtown to the station right now.  I’ll see you later.”

Stormy stood in the foyer in shock as James barreled out of the house.  He shook his head in disbelief and started up the stairs to his room.

Alex sat in bed reading the morning paper and sipping coffee and juice when Jordan came out of the shower and gave her a disgruntled look.  “So what’s on your agenda today?” he asked.  “Going into your new office so you can play grown up with James Blackthorne?”

She shot him a look full of warning.  “What’s got into you?” she asked.  “You know James isn’t thinking about work at a time like this.  His son’s been kidnapped for God’s sake.”

Jordan rolled his eyes and started to get dressed.  “And the world stops for everything going on in James Blackthorne’s life,” he said smugly.  “You know, Alex, I really question whether doing business with that man is the right thing to do.  He has more personal dramas going on than it’s safe to know about.  What if he brings you down and you lose everything you’ve put into Blackthorne-Reynolds?”

Angrily, she pushed aside her breakfast tray and shot to her feet, her nightgown billowing behind her as she strode across the room.  “You could have a little more compassion, Jordan,” she said bitterly.  “An innocent child is at stake.  No matter what jealousies you may have about me and James’s association, that child is innocent.  I just can’t believe you’re being so cold about this.  What happened to the man I married?”

He groaned with displeasure and slipped into a tailored Gucci shirt.  “He’s about to get very angry because you seem to be putting everyone else before him,” he said.  “Now when are you going to step back and put things in perspective?”

“Who do you think you are?” Alex asked with a gasp.  “You can’t just make demands and beat your chest when you’re not the center of attention at all times.  Honestly, I don’t see what this rivalry you have with James is all about.  Your studios compete with each other and that’s all.  Why must you get so personal?”

Growing more irate by the minute, Jordan rushed forward and grabbed her by the wrists, shaking her hard.  “Because that man will not seem to go away.  Here he is, married again with a child and he still has to insinuate himself into our lives.”

“So this is about our business venture again, isn’t it?” Alex demanded and shook herself free from him.

“This is about me asking you to walk away from him once and for all!” he yelled at the top of his voice.  “But you can’t do that, can you?  Because you’re still in love with him!”

“That’s ridiculous!”

“Is it?” Jordan demanded, grabbing his wallet and keys and heading for the bedroom door.  “He has everything.  He’s not getting you too.  I think losing his baby is going to teach him a lesson or two.  Maybe now he’ll know that he can’t have it all!”

After he left the room, Alex turned and shuddered from the ominous remark.  She wondered just what her husband meant by that.  And how far had he gone to pay James back for his jealousy?

James stood in the lobby at the police station with Detective Baines, his hands planted firmly on his hips as he shook his head in frustration.

“He hasn’t confessed to anything,” Baines remarked.  “And he won’t give us an alibi for his whereabouts the night your son was abducted.  He put a call into his lawyer but he’s away on business until tonight.  My guess is we won’t get any answers from him until then.”

James clenched his fists in anger.  “If he’s not talking then that means he’s hiding something.  What did he have to say about the handkerchief?”

Baines shrugged.  “He admitted that it was his, but he wouldn’t say why it was in the tunnel.  On top of that, he denies knowing anything about the tunnels.”

The prospect of his own nephew kidnapping his son was torture for James.  He knew  they had had a falling out last summer, but they were still family.  Taking his baby was beneath contempt.

“We’re running out of time, Mr. Blackthorne,” the detective said.  “If he knows where your baby is then we’ve got to get him to talk now.”

James nodded in agreement.  “I want to talk to him,” he said.

Without hesitation, Baines led James to the interrogation room and motioned for an officer to unlock the door.  Seconds later, James entered the room and found Ethan sitting at a long, rectangular wooden table with his head in his hands.

“Ethan,” he began, moving purposefully into the room and avoiding full eye contact with the young man.  It hurt him seeing him locked up like that, but if he did kidnap his son then he would make certain that he never got free. 

After a long period of silen