Previously...

James threw a dinner party at the mansion and invited Timothy to discuss the pipeline. When he arrived with his wife on his arm, Stormy realized his wife was Samantha. Later, Timothy informed a surprised Stormy that he already knew about the affair, courtesy of Janet's photos. A defiant Stormy had no choice but to back off when Timothy issued him an ultimatum: Leave Samantha alone, or risk being the cause of the injunction against the pipeline going through. Brett overheard and decided he could use the information to his advantage in his war with Stormy. At a wild industry party of Jordan's, Philip Whitacre blabbed about his night with the girl in Joel Armitage's office. When Heather came in and Philip recognized her as that girl, Jordan put two and two together and flew into a rage over what the man had done to his daughter. Will caught Miranda and Heather breaking into his estate again, and a delerious Heather attached him mercilessly for putting her through the torture with Joel Armitage. Later, Heather blocked the attack from her memory. Miranda filled James in on their findings and a vengeful James raced to Will's house with a gun in hand, certain that Will had Michael.

Episode 42

"Yesterday, When I Was Mad"

James swallowed hard, aiming the .38 at Will with a remarkably steady hand.  He stood up from the chair in the parlor room of the Thomerson estate, taking a few steps toward his enemy.  

“You’ve lost it, James,” Will said, his eyes transfixed to the barrel of the shiny silver revolver.  “You think I kidnapped your son?”

“I know you did,” James replied.  “When I think of all those weeks I wasted on other suspects.  People who don’t have the history that you and I have.  I accused my own daughter, for God’s sake, not to mention my nephew.  And it was you all along.”

Will eyed him closely, avoiding any sudden movements while the weapon was aimed straight at him.  “And exactly how did I pull off this baby heist?”

James backed up, motioning to the open bookcase in the wall that led to the hidden tunnels.   “My guess is that you’ve known about these tunnels for quite awhile.  Just how many times have you snuck into my house since then?  Prowling around the halls and stalking my family?”

“I have better things to do than skulk around your house listening to your petty family squabbles and oversexed children,” Will spat.   “If that’s the only reason you came here, if that’s the only proof you have, then take your gun and go home.”

James shook his head, rushing up to him with blinding speed and aiming the gun straight at his chest.  “You could have easily gotten into my house that night,” he said.  “You knew we’d be at the premiere.  You knew you could get away with it so you went into the nursery and took my son from me.”   He cocked the gun and glared menacingly at him.  “Now if you don’t tell me where he is-”

“What are you going to do?” Will scoffed.  “Shoot me?  Suppose I did kidnap your son.  If I’m dead, how would you find him?”

James gritted his teeth angrily.  “I know about the birth certificate,” he said.  “What were you planning to do?  Adopt my son and pass him off as your own?  Give him to an orphanage?  Anybody to raise him as long as it wasn’t me, right?  Isn’t that what this is all about?  You wanting to get revenge on me?   You wanting to take something away from me?  Well you’ve already taken my sister.  You killed her with your lies and your black heart.  Now you want to take more from me, is that it?”

Finally Will had heard enough and he boldly moved his body against the gun.  “You mean like you kept my son from me for twenty-eight years?” he yelled loudly.  “Is that the kind of revenge you’re talking about, James?”

Startled that he knew the truth, James staggered back a few steps, his eyes wide. 

Brooke paced around her bedroom at the Blackthorne mansion, worried out of her mind that James would do something he would regret. 

“You don’t think he’d really kill him, do you?” she asked, stopping long enough to glance across the room where Miranda was standing.

“If Daddy thought Will Thomerson kidnapped Michael, then yes, I do,” she replied with certainty.  “You know how much he hates that man.  He still blames him for what he did to Georgie.  I think he would kill him without hesitation.  I really do.”

Throwing her hands up in despair, Brooke started to the phone and began dialing.

“What are you doing?” Miranda asked.

“I’m calling Detective Baines,” she said and waited for an answer.  “I’ll be damned if I’m going to let my husband go to jail.”

Miranda knew that Brooke was right.  She hated to have the police intervene, but her father wasn’t thinking straight.  They had to stop him before it was too late.

“Is everything okay, Mr. Thomerson?” asked Will’s caretaker who had came in through the servants entry in the back.   He regarded James carefully, although not surprised by the vast number of enemies his employer had.

“Everything’s fine, Lou,” Will said with a smile.

Shrugging, the caretaker turned back and left the house.  After he’d gone, James looked back at Will and gripped the gun tightly in his hand. 

“What did you mean by that?” he asked, still in awe of Will’s revelation.

“You seem surprised,” Will said as he met James’s stare.  “You didn’t think I’d ever find out about Ethan, did you?  You thought you could keep it buried forever with your dear sister.  Well you had to know that I’d find out eventually.  I kind of blame myself for not realizing it sooner.  According to your story, Georgie met a carnival worker mere weeks after I left Windsor for New York.  They had a whirlwind romance, there were flowers and hearts and broken promises, and voila – the carnie guy was conveniently gone.  Nine months later she gave birth to Ethan, and then she died of tuberculosis.” 

“That is what happened,” James said, refusing to admit the truth that he’d fought so hard to keep from Will and Ethan.   “Whatever you think you know is-“

“There was no carnie!” Will screamed.  “You made it up because you couldn’t stand the thought of Ethan finding out that I was his father.  You held Georgie’s death against me all that time and you filled his head with lies and manipulations!  My flesh and blood!”

James shook his head.  “You’re wrong.  Ethan is not your son.”

“I had a DNA test done,” Will announced, a threatening look in his eyes.  “It proved conclusive within 99.9 percent accuracy that I am Ethan’s father.”

Devastated by the turn of events, James fought to maintain his grounding.  He had no choice but to admit it to his enemy.  The lie was over.   “Does Ethan know?”

He shook his head with a smile.  “No.”

James looked at him with a frown.  “Why haven’t you told him?”

Shrugging, Will walked across the room and peered into the hidden tunnel.  “Because I’m setting the stage so that when he does find out about what a lying bastard you are, he’ll turn his back on you and help me destroy you.”

“So you’re using your son as a pawn?”

“I sent away for Ethan’s birth certificate.  Father unknown, it said.  Another example of the lengths you’d go to to play God when it comes to your family.  When Ethan finds out that you’ve lied to him his whole life - his supposed champion and role model - he’ll finally step over to my side and help me squash whatever’s left of your miserable existence.”

James finally realized Will’s sick plan.   “This is payback, isn’t it?” he asked, tightening his grip on the gun.  “You took my son from me because I kept you from Ethan.”

Will didn’t reply.  “Do you hear any crying babies?” he asked.  “Do you think I have him locked away in a sound proof room somewhere in this house?”

“I know you took him,” James declared.  “You practically admitted it.   An eye for an eye, right?”

Biting his lower lip, Will dug his hands into his pockets and stood before James with a defiant look in his eyes.  “Why don’t you shoot me?  If you’re so sure I did this heinous act then now’s your chance to make it right.”

James held the gun out to him, his hands trembling with hatred.  He wanted to kill him so bad he could taste it.  He wanted to make him pay for everything he’d done. 

“But you can’t do it, can’t you?” Will continued.   “Because if you think I kidnapped your son, killing me would solve nothing.  You’d never see him again as long as you live. I wonder what would poor Brooke Taylor think of the man who single-handedly ruined any chances of being united with her son?”

“You son of a bitch!” James shouted, tossing the gun to the floor where it slid beneath an antique chair.   He lunged forward, his arms outstretched and his hands clasping around Will’s throat.

They struggled around the room, knocking over lamps and tables and sending shards of glass shattering everywhere.  Will pushed James back, sending him crashing into the wall and knocking a portrait to the floor.  James recovered quickly, struggling to his feet and racing back to attack him.

Suddenly Detective Baines appeared in the doorway with Brooke, Miranda and a uniformed officer.  He rushed over to break up the violent struggle but was quickly knocked clear of the scene.

“James, no!” Brooke cried in despair as she watched the men grapple.

“Daddy!” Miranda cried.

Finally the officer had them separated.  Brooke rushed over and grabbed onto James with all her might. 

“I swear to God as soon as my son is home safe I will kill you!” James yelled at the top of his lungs.

“Easy,” Baines said, standing between the two men.   “What’s going on here?”

“I’ll tell you what’s going on,” Will began, struggling to catch his breath from the physical exertion.  “This man is trespassing. “

Baines looked at James.  “Is that true, Mr. Blackthorne?”

James took a deep breath and nodded.  “With probable cause,” he said.   “He kidnapped my son.  He all but admitted it to me.”

“I admitted no such thing,” said Will.  “He broke into my house and started waving a gun at me.   I want him arrested.”

James gritted his teeth and tried lunging toward him again.  Baines stopped him in his tracks, holding him back physically.  

“He has access to my house,” James said and motioned to the hidden staircase.  “I know he kidnapped my son, Detective Baines.”

Brooke clutched onto James, staring at Will with contempt.  Suddenly she knew how her husband felt.    Just looking at him made her want to kill him.

“You have no proof,” Will taunted, then turned to Baines.  “Detective, are you going to make an arrest or not? “           

He nodded and motioned to the officer.  “Yes, I am.   Mr. Thomerson, I’m placing you under arrest for suspicion of child abduction.”

“What?” Will exclaimed, struggling as the officer placed a pair of handcuffs on his wrists.   “This is an outrage.  He comes into my home uninvited, threatens me, and I get arrested?”

They led him out the front door and James threw his arms around Brooke, pulling her close and kissing her softly. 

“James, I was terrified,” Brooke said.  “I thought you were going to kill him!”

He took a deep breath and put his arm around Miranda.  “I think I would have if you hadn’t gotten here when you did.”

“Did he confess to you, Daddy?” Miranda asked.

“Not in so many words,” James said, thinking about Ethan and the secret he’d hidden from him his whole life.  “But I’m never been more convinced of anything in my life.”

Heather arrived home in a daze after her trip to her father’s house.  The whole disgusting incident was a blur and all she could remember was Jordan sitting at home talking to Philip Whitacre.  How could he associate with a pig like him?  After all the trouble he’d caused, not to mention the fact that he took part in the film she was tricked into starring in.

“Heather!” Stormy called as he spotted her dashing upstairs to her room.  “Wait a second!”

“Leave me alone!” she cried and slammed her bedroom door shut.

Frustrated, Stormy stopped midway up the staircase and turned around just as Jordan dashed inside the house.

“Where’s Heather?” he asked and started up the stairs after her.   “I have to talk to her.”

“What’s going on?” Stormy asked.  He knew something was up.  Heather was upset about something, and Jordan looked guilty as hell.   “What did you do to her?”

Jordan stopped on the top landing, turning to Stormy and glaring at him.  “Don’t mess with me, junior.  For once this has nothing to do with you.”

“Hey, wait a minute!” Stormy said and chased after him.  

They arrived at Heather’s door and Jordan pounded mercilessly.  “Heather!  It’s your father!  Open the door!”

“Go away!” she cried from inside the room.   “I don’t want to talk to either one of you!”

“What the hell is she talking about?” Stormy asked.  “Tell me what happened, Jordan.”

Furious over his inane demands, Jordan grabbed him by the shirt collar and forced him up against the wall.  “You have no right to bark orders at me, kid.  After the way you treated my daughter when you were married, you’re lucky all I did was give you a bloody nose.”

Stormy shook himself loose and looked at him warily.  “Look, whatever’s going on with Heather I want to help.”

He glared at him warningly before turning and starting back down the stairs.  “Just stay away from my daughter,” he said.

After he’d gone, Stormy looked back at Heather’s bedroom and slammed his fists against the wall in frustration.  Why wouldn’t anybody tell him what was going on?   He was trying to help, to make up for the way he’d hurt her in the past.  Now all he got was hostility.

Frustrated and angry, he went next door to his room and slammed the door.  It hadn’t been his night.  First he was blackmailed by Timothy into ending his affair with Samantha, and then no one would tell him what was going on with Heather.  It made him want to give up and wash his hands of the whole situation.

Brett heard Miranda come home and quickly intercepted her in their bedroom.  He saw her at the dresser taking off her earrings and necklace and approached her slowly from behind.

“What went on over there tonight?” he asked.  “Is James okay?”

Rolling her eyes, Miranda shrugged him off and turned around to face him, a scowl etched across her face.   “I haven’t forgotten about what you’ve done, Brett,” she said.   “You’re sleeping in a guest room tonight.”

He frowned and slapped his hands to his sides.  “Why are you so upset?” he asked in dismay.

“I’m upset because of the way you used Heather for your own selfish reasons!” she screeched.  “I can’t believe my own husband would put someone in a situation like that!”

“Heather didn’t do anything she didn’t want to do!” he insisted.  “I never asked her to get romantically involved with Will Thomerson.  That was her idea.  All I did was ask her to help me find out what movie deals Jaguar Studios was involved in.”

“You still used her!”

Brett ran his fingers through his hair and followed her across the room.  “Look, your father was in a wheelchair.  He put me in charge.  I was only doing what I thought he would do in the same situation.  It’s just business, Miranda.  It’s not personal.”

“Not personal?” she asked.  She felt herself weakening, unable to blame him for what happened to Heather.  The fact that Will found out about the betrayal and set Heather up with the sleazy porn director wasn’t exactly Brett’s fault.  But nonetheless, he put her in a bad situation.  “Did you ever stop to think what Will would do if he found out Heather used him like that?”

“But he didn’t, did he?  It all worked out okay.  Heather’s fine.”

Realizing she couldn’t tell him the whole truth, she decided to shelf the topic for the time being.  There were other things going on now.  More important things like Michael and the fact that Will Thomerson may have kidnapped him.  

“Fine.  If you won’t sleep in the guest room then I will.”  She turned and started out of the room when Brett grabbed her arm and pulled her back.    “Let go of me!”

“Why don’t you stop worrying about your brother’s ex-wife and concentrate on your own husband for once!”  He pulled her into a kiss and threw her down onto the bed.  “You’re my wife!”

Miranda shot up to her feet and punched him swiftly in the gut.   He doubled over in pain and groaned miserably.   “Jesus!” he howled.  “What is this?  First you clock me in the jaw and then you sucker punch me?”

Shrugging indifferently, Miranda started to the door, pausing before leaving.  “Your wife is going to sleep down the hall until you realize that you can’t use people like that.  Not even to score points with my father.”

He watched her go and dropped to his knees, panting to catch his breath. 

The next morning, Brooke entered the dining room where James was reading the paper over coffee and toast.   She sat down beside him and feigned a smile as Leilani poured her a glass of juice.

“Has there been any word from Detective Baines?” she asked.

James shook his head.  “No, not yet.  The paper says they kept Thomerson overnight for questioning.  I pray they find something to nail him.  There’s got to be some way to link him to Michael’s kidnapping.”

“I hope so too,” Ethan said as he entered the room.   He paused in the doorway, glancing at Brooke and managing a faint smile.  “I read the paper and heard about what happened.”

“Ethan, I was going to call you,” James said.

“Do they really think they have evidence that fingers Will in the kidnapping?” he asked and sat down across the table.   “I knew Will had a vendetta against you but this is going too far.  Kidnapping a baby?  It doesn’t seem like his style.”

“It’s exactly his style,” James declared, consumed with the knowledge that Will was merely getting back at him for his lies about Ethan.  “They’ll find something on him.  I know they will.”

Ethan nodded, letting his eyes graze past Brooke.  Something was different about her today.  Recently they’d grown closer again, but today she seemed distant all over again.  He wondered if something else had happened that she wasn’t admitting.

Brooke, still plagued with images of Ethan with Janet at his house the night before, tried desperately to put it out of her mind.  The affair they’d had was over.  She was with James now.  There was no turning back.

“I suppose with everything going on, you won’t be making an appearance at the Filmmakers awards on Sunday night,” Ethan said, swiftly changing the subject.   

James shook his head.  “No, it’s out of the question.  I can’t think about awards at a time like this.  Not until my son is home.  Besides, I can’t handle the media circus right now.”

“James, Angel Assassin was nominated for best picture,” Brooke said.  “Are you sure you don’t want to be there?  After all the trouble you had with its release, it would be a shame to-“

“Brooke, it doesn’t matter to me,” James insisted, then shook his head.  “Luckily with Thomerson being in jail, he won’t be able to attend either.  His film