Previously...

Jordan was questioned by the police about his whereabouts the night Michael was kidnapped.  Angered by Alex's devotion to James, Jordan later informed Alex that he was leaving her.  Miranda admitted that she'd been in the tunnels the night of the kidnapping but couldn't see who had taken the baby.  Gwen later admitted that she'd also been in the tunnels but got lost and took hours to find her way back to her room.  Stormy confronted Brett about the phony detective's report about Gwen.  Brett quickly turned the blame onto Gwen, claiming that she had swapped the reports herself.  Later, an astonished Brett listened on as Gwen corroborated his story.  She later blackmailed him for cash.  On his way home, Ethan spotted Winter Austen buying baby supplies at an all night convenience store.

Episode 38

"The Torrents of Winter"

Pacing the floor of the library at the Blackthorne mansion, James wrung his hands together as he processed the events of the past few hours.  It was barely dawn and the sun was coming up over the horizon.  After several false leads in the kidnapping of his son, they finally had a suspect that could possibly pan out.  Now the only problem was finding her.

“I should be out there helping search,” Ethan said as he stood next to Miranda and Brooke.  “I feel helpless just waiting around here.”

“The police said they have men out searching every street north and south of Ventura Boulevard,” Stormy said from across the room.  “They’ll find Winter eventually.  She can’t hide forever.”

“But eventually might be too late,” Brooke said, overwrought with despair.  She couldn’t bare another day not knowing where her son was and if she would ever see him again.  It had been too long already.

“I’m afraid Brooke’s right,“ Ethan agreed.  “We all know what state of mind Winter was in when she left here last summer.  She was crazy jealous of Brooke.”

“And she was the one who claimed Michael was your son,” James announced to his nephew.  “She probably still believes it, and in her mind by kidnapping him she’s still hanging on to you.”

“My God, Ethan, how could you have gotten involved with her again anyway?” Miranda asked, shooting her cousin a cold stare.  “This is all your fault.” 

“My fault?” Ethan argued.  “You were the one who saw someone taking Michael out of the nursery and didn’t bother to stop them!  If this is anyone’s fault it’s yours!”

“Don’t you dare throw that in my face!” Miranda screeched.  “I told you that by the time I knew what was happening it was too late!”

“You could have called the police right away!”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Brett said in Miranda’s defense.  “Don’t put this on my wife!  It’s your crazy ex-girlfriend who took the baby!”

“All right, stop it!” James interrupted and scowled at them both.  “This isn’t getting us anywhere!”  He sighed and stared down into the fireplace.  The truth was if it was anyone’s fault it was his.  He was the one who arranged to get Winter and Ethan together last spring because he was worried about how close Ethan and Brooke were becoming.  If he hadn’t been so jealous, Winter would never have came into their lives and they wouldn’t be in this mess now.  His son would be home, safe and warm in his crib.

Leilani entered the room with Kenny DeWitt, who shot James a look of panic and rushed toward him.   “James, I got here as soon as I could,” he said.  “Is it true?  Did Winter kidnap Michael?”

James nodded and placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder.  “It looks that way, Kenny,” he said.  “Ethan saw her a few hours ago buying diapers and formula and some other supplies.  It’s the only thing that makes sense.” 

Kenny nodded with regret.  “Yeah, it does,” he said.  “Damnit, I told her to get out of town and never come back.  I gave her a check that should more than have covered her living expenses for a while.  Why is she pulling this stunt now?”

“We don’t think it’s money that she’s after,” Stormy said.  “She hasn’t made any ransom demands.  We think it’s because she believes Michael is Ethan’s son.  In her warped mind she’s somehow holding on to him.”

Brooke shivered at the complexity of her lies.  The ironic thing was that Winter knew exactly what she was doing.  She was right about Michael being Ethan’s son.  No one else but her knew the real truth.

“James, I’m so sorry,” Kenny said.  “If I had known this was going to happen I would have never asked for your help.”

Brooke looked up inquisically, as did Ethan.  “Help with what?” he asked.  “Kenny, what are you talking about?”

James quickly shot Kenny a look of warning.  He didn’t need to fan the flames by having everyone find out about his deal with Kenny.  Renee had been on his case to get his mistress, Winter out of his life, so James set her up with Ethan.  It was like killing two birds with one stone.  Now it seemed it was coming back to reap vengeance on all of them.

“It doesn’t matter now,” James insisted.  “The important thing is that we find her before she does something rash.  She could have caused Brooke to miscarry that night she pushed her down the staircase.  If she’s capable of that then she’s capable of anything.”

The prospect sent chills down Brooke’s spine.  When she thought of the horrible things Winter had said and done to her last year it made her skin crawl.  There was so much hatred and jealousy swirling around her.  It was no wonder she eventually snapped and took the baby.

“The only thing I don’t understand is how did she know about the tunnels?” Brett said, stroking his hand down Miranda’s hair.  “She never lived here so she wouldn’t have had an opportunity to find them.”

“She could have been in L.A. this whole time,” Stormy claimed.  “Until Philip kidnapped Brooke this place wasn’t exactly hard to gain access to.”

“My God, the thought of that woman creeping around our house…” James said in a low whisper.  “Watching us and planning her move.  I swear when they find her I’ll shake the life out of her.”

“If they find her,” Brooke said, breaking down into tears.

James rushed over and put his arm around her in an effort to reassure her.  “They will, Darling,” he said.  “I promise you we’ll get our baby back.”

Ethan looked at Brooke and wished that he could comfort her.  Even after everything that had happened he still felt connected to her.  Those glorious days in the Caribbean they spent together before things got so messed up still played over and over in his mind.  And deep down he knew that Michael was his son.  Whether Brooke chose to admit it or not.

Across town, the early morning sun filtered through the curtains of the old rundown motel room.  Winter Austen hummed merrily to herself as she moved around the small room, picking up trash and placing it neatly in the garbage can.  Her wispy blond hair was tied up in a ponytail on her head and she was perspiring from the stuffy air.

“I know this place is kind of a dump,” she said and started over to the crib against the wall.   “But we won’t be here for much longer.  After I get our things packed we’re going to be moving on.”

She walked over to the nightstand and plucked an envelope from her purse.  Fanning out a chunk of hundred dollar bills, she smiled happily to herself.  “I still have plenty of money left.  I’ve been smart and haven’t used any that I didn’t have to.  If there’s one thing my mother taught me it was how to budget when you’re strapped for cash.”

Continuing to straighten up the room and pack things into her giant duffel bag, she found herself smiling fondly.  “Mother would be so proud of me.  She always said I would never make anything out of my life.   What do you want to be a nurse for? she’d always ask me.  Taking orders from doctors who make ten times as much as you do.  You’ll never amount to anything, Winter.  You’ll wind up somebody’s whore and die a lonely, bitter woman.  Well, now’s my chance to show mother how wrong she was, isn’t it, Michael?”

Suddenly she stopped and looked back at the crib.  “We’re going to have to find a new name for you,” she said, reaching down with her hand and smiling sweetly.  “Michael just doesn’t suit you.  I think you look so much like your father that you should have his name.   Ethan Jr.”  She paused and nodded as if agreeing with herself.  “Yeah, I like that.  Ethan Jr.” 

Content with her decision, she walked over to the mirror against the wall and examined her tired reflection.  “Mother will be so surprised when we get to Portland and she sees how far I’ve come,” she said, taking her hair down out of the ponytail and grabbing a brush from the dresser.   “She’ll see that I’m not the waste of skin she thought I was.”

A demented scowl spread across her face and she shot her attention back to the crib across the room.  “What’s that, Ethan Jr.?” she asked.  “Will my mother ask about your daddy?”

She turned back to the mirror and traced the outline of her face against the smooth surface.  “She might,” she said in a weary tone.  “She might say that I couldn’t hold a man if I tried.  She probably thinks that your daddy threw me out like yesterday’s garbage.”   Her eyes began to tear up and she began trembling.   “You’re just a stupid whole.  You’re so stupid...you’re so stupid, Winter.  Nobody wants you.  Look what happened...some man knocked you up and didn’t even want to stick around.  He chose that bitch Brooke Taylor over you and now you’re raising his baby on your own.   Nobody loves you, Winter.  You’re just a stupid nurse who’s a whore and a stupid, stupid, stupid….”

Then the blood ebbed down her arm and trickled past her elbow.   She stopped and looked in the mirror at the huge cracks she’d made with her fingernails.  Her thumb and index finger were scraped and bloodied and she smeared the dark, scarlet liquid over the mirror, staring at her reflection outlined in blood.

Outside, an unmarked police car stopped at the motel office and Detective Baines emerged, entering the office and showing his badge to the clerk on duty who sat behind the desk reading the Los Angeles Times. 

“Excuse me, Sir.  We’re looking for a young woman,” he began, taking a photo of Winter from his jacket and flashing it before the old, weathered man.  “Her name is Winter Austen, but she might be using an alias.   Have you seen her?”

The man glanced at the photo briefly and shook his head.  “Nope,” he said and went back to reading the morning paper.

Baines sighed in frustration and glanced at one of the officers at his side.  “Would you please look at the photo again to make sure,” he said.  “It’s very important.  She might have been traveling with an infant.”

Frustrated, the man took the photo from him and squinted.  He pulled his glasses from around his neck and positioned them securely over his nose.  “She does look familiar,” he said.  “And there was a young woman who checked in her a few nights ago.”

“Did she have baby with her?” Baines asked.

The clerk shrugged.  “I think so,” he said.  “I can’t be for sure.”

Baines rolled his eyes.  “Is she still here?” he asked.

Moving at an alarmingly slowly pace, the clerk reached for the guest log and traced his finger down several names.   “Ah, yes, Cathy Simms,” he said.  “That’s her.  She’s in room 5B.  She’s been causing problems because she hasn’t let any housekeepers in her room since she’s been here.   It’s our policy to come in every day at noon but she won’t let anyone in.  I guess she wants her privacy.”

“Thank you,” Baines said and took off out the door.  He started down the outside corridor and turned a corner, pausing when he came to room 5B.  The blinds and curtains were drawn and he couldn’t see inside.   Reaching his hand out, he knocked firmly on the door and waited a beat.

Inside, Winter’s eyes flashed open wide and she shot across the room to the crib, reaching down and securely snatching up her precious bundle from inside.

“Shhhh,” she said in a whisper.  “Don’t cry, Ethan Jr.   They’ll go away.  I won’t let them take you away from me.”

Suddenly another knock at the door startled her and she backed up against the wall. 

“Winter Austen, this is Detective Baines from the LAPD.   We need you to open the door, ma’am.”

Winter shook her head, glancing around the room in a panic.  She wouldn’t let them take her baby.  She hadn’t come this far to have everything taken away from her.

“They found her!” James said as he hung up the phone in the library.

Ethan, Brooke and the rest of the family shot to attention.  “I’ll go with you,” Ethan said and grabbed his jacket.

“Darling, be careful,” Brooke said tearfully and threw her arms tightly around her husband.

James nodded and kissed her lightly on the cheek.  “I will.  And I’ll bring our baby home.  I promise.”

With that, he and Ethan bolted down the hall to the front door.  Back in the library, Brooke wrapped her arms around herself and walked to the window in anticipation.  Miranda approached her from behind and placed a hand gently on her arm.

Astonished by the young woman’s ever so slight act of sympathy, Brooke felt a vague smile tinge her mouth and she took a deep breath.  It amazed her that something as horrible as Michael being taken from her would be the event that brought the family closer together.

Armed with a feeling of hope, she vowed that if James brought Michael home safely she would do everything she could to mend the wounds they’d all suffered, including telling the truth about Michael’s father.

Ethan swerved through a flood of oncoming cars and pushed the gas pedal all the way to the floor.  He glanced beside him where James was seated in the car, a look of optimism evident on his face.  He knew how much James loved Michael, and whether he truly believed he was his son or not, he would do anything to get him back.

“Dear God, please don’t let her hurt my baby,” James whispered under his breath as he stared out the windshield.  His eyes welled up with tears and he quickly wiped them away as if to dismiss any signs of emotion.

But Ethan knew his uncle too well.  He suddenly grew sympathetic toward him for everything that had happened.  It couldn’t have been easy learning that his own nephew slept with his wife.  And even though it seemed that in the face of tragedy they were growing closer again, the subject of Michael’s paternity was still in question.  Ethan was positive he was the baby’s father, but Brooke swore otherwise.  Was he supposed to sit back and say nothing?  Give up on the fact that he had a son?  When Michael was finally brought safely home was he supposed to fade into the background again?

The decision would have to wait.  For now the only thing that mattered was finding him and bringing him home safely.

They neared the motel off Ventura Boulevard and spotted the cavalry of police cars staked out in the parking lot.  James threw open the door and raced up to Detective Baines positioned near the office with several uniformed officers.  The detective, seeing his panicked state, held him off with a hand held firmly before him.

“Where is he?” James ordered.  “Where’s my son?”

“Take it easy,” Baines said and gestured to Winter’s motel room.  “The manager said she’s been here for a few days.  She won’t answer the door.”

Ethan sidled up next to James and surveyed the situation.  “So get the key and open the damn thing,” he said in a rage.  “What the hell are you standing around waiting for?”

Baines shot him a look of warning.  He hated being told how to do his job, especially by Hollywood industry types.  To them it was all a big movie script.  What they didn’t realize was that people in real life got hurt in situations like this.

“We don’t want to scare her off or cause her to do anything drastic,” he said.  “We’ve got a crisis counselor on the way to talk to her.  We need to get her out of that room but we also need to ensure the baby’s safety.”

“Has anyone talked to her yet?” James asked.

Detective Baines shook his head regretfully.

“Then how the hell do you know she’s even in there?” Ethan shouted, running his hands through his hair and sighing with exasperation.  “Jesus, I can’t believe this!”

“Now hold on a minute!” Baines shot back.  “I’m in charge of this operation and I’m doing this my way!  If it was up to you we’d go barging in there and we’d have a hostage situation on our hands!  We don’t know if she’s armed or how far she’s willing to go to pull this thing off!”

“So you expect us to stand around and wait for a crisis counselor to sweet talk her into coming out?” Ethan yelled, then leveled his eyes directly on him.  “Get the manager to unlock the door now.”

Baines shook his head in aggravation.  “Listen to me, if we set her off by barging in there-“

“Detective, he’s right,” James interrupted.  “If Winter Austen has my son in there then we have to go in.  Waiting is not an option.”

Reluctantly, the detective motioned to one of the officers who then went to retrieve the manager in the office.   “This is against my better judgment.”

Ethan rolled his eyes with irritation.  “No offense, but your judgment doesn’t seem to be getting us anywhere,” he said.  “All we have to do is open the door and get the baby from her.  She’s not going to do anything to hurt him.  She’s a nurse, for Christ’s sake.”

Finally the manager appeared with the keys.  He bent down to the lock and quickly fumbled with the keys as he opened the door.   Baines and another officer moved forward and entered, their weapons drawn as they surveyed the room.

“Where are they?” James demanded as he forced his way past them and scanned the empty room.

“Go check the bathroom,” Baines said to the officer and pointed across the room.

“I told you we were wasting time,” Ethan said as he gazed down inside the empty crib.  “She’s gone.”

Moments later, the officer raced from the bathroom, a grim look on his face.  “The bathroom window is wide open.  It looks like she got out that way.”

“What?” Baines asked and raced into the bathroom to check it out for himself.

“There’s a parking lot in the back.  She’s probably already on the road by now,” said the officer.

“Damnit!” Ethan shouted and slammed his fist into the door so hard that it cracked the wood. 

“I don’t believe this,” James roared and grabbed Baines by the collar of his trench coat.  “You blew it, Baines!  You let her get away with my son!”

“Take it easy,” Baines said and forced James to release his hold on him.   He turned to the motel manager with a hint of hope in his eyes.  “Do you keep records of what cars people are driving when they check in?”

He nodded, suddenly all too eager to help.  “Yes, we require them to give us that information when they check in,” he said.   “I’ll go get it for you.”

James ran his fingers through his hair and turned to Ethan.  He suddenly felt closer to his nephew than he had in a long time.  It was like the old days when they were constantly there for each other throughout every crisis.   They needed to keep each other now more than ever.

Winter sped down the road in her VW convertible, glancing to the back where the car seat was securely fastened in with the seatbelt.   “Hold on tight, Ethan Jr.,” she said.  “We have to take a little detour before we head up to Portland.”

She looked back to the windshield and kept her eyes peeled for police cars.  “They’ll be coming after us soon,” she said.  “I have to think.  I can’t let them take you away from me.  Not my beautiful baby.”

Her car weaved in and out of the morning traffic, cutting people off right and left and running lights at every intersection.  Cars honked and people yelled obscenities as she recklessly sped down the road.

Brooke sat in the solarium at the mansion drinking a cup of coffee when Heather came around the corner and timidly