Krystal holds Adam at gunpoint for information; Tad finds Janet’s hideout; Janet escapes with Jenny; Zack can’t let Alex just die; Suspicions about Alex’s shooting mount
Kendall is agitated about Zach being out of the office on the day that his father is to be transferred to the psychiatric hospital, and is ranting to Josh about it. The two of them enter Zach’s office and find the note Zach had received earlier: “See you again soon, son. Your loving father.” Kendall begins ranting double-time, recalling that Alex had threatened to take Spike.
Derek and other officers are at the scene of Alex’s shooting. He is lying, bleeding, on the ground, while Derek sends the officers to the roof to search for the shooter. Zach appears on the scene, and while Derek hints around that he might suspect Zach has something to do with the shooting, it’s clear that Derek is in no hurry to try to save Alex’s life. He purposely keeps officers away from the scene, leaving Zach alone with Alex. Zach talks to Alex, telling him he got his note, taunting him. He begins goading Alex to say something, to ask for help, to prove he’s not insane after all. Alex begins to sing the Redrock song. Zach tells Derek to call an ambulance, saying, “It shouldn’t end like this. I want him to suffer.”
Ryan calls Tad to offer his help in finding Jenny. Annie is shaken up by Jenny’s disappearance, upset by the phone call, remembering when Emma was missing. She asks Ryan to promise her that Emma and Spike will be safe forever, that nothing bad will happen to any of them, and that they’ll never have heartache after their marriage. Ryan promises her all of those things, and promises that he’ll make Annie smile every day.
At the Chandler mansion, Adam slams the front door in Krystal’s face. She responds by shooting the doorknob off and forcing her way in. Seriously ticked and on a rampage, she tells Adam, “If you want to live to see another minute, you better give up the game.” She tells him that Amanda told her that Adam had helped Janet escape the psychiatric hospital. Of course, Adam denies having anything to do with Jenny’s disappearance. The two verbally battle for awhile – Krystal telling Adam he can do whatever he wants to her name and take all of her money, but he can’t keep her baby from her and Adam telling Krystal that he was a fool and that if she ever loved him “a tenth” of what she says she did, she wouldn’t have gone to bed with Tad – but it’s clear that Krystal is not going to be intimidated and is not going to leave the mansion until she gets what she wants.
Meanwhile, word about Alex’s shooting begins to spread and almost immediately suspicions begin to fly. Kendall suspects that Zach might have something to do with it – worrying that if he did they would never get Alex out of their lives. Annie suspects Jonathon – telling Ryan that she’d seen Jonathon lately in the middle of the night, pacing, with a bad look in his eyes. Zach suspects Hannah, remembering their recent conversation where she claimed that Alex deserved revenge. Derek suspects pretty much everyone, but even he can’t escape suspicion as both Ryan and Zach point out that he, too, had motive. It seems another Pine Valley mystery is underfoot!
Back at the hospital, Amanda is still on the phone, trying to get her mother to talk to her, not knowing that Janet has put the phone down to answer the door. She and Babe put Amanda’s cell on speakerphone and overhear a man’s voice saying that they’re there to take the baby. Bad timing – the signal is lost and they lose connection with Janet. They are frantic, and Babe immediately tries to call Krystal, but can’t get an answer. Enter Tad, Jamie, and JR, who immediately call Aidan to have him trace Janet’s cell phone signal. The signal is traced to somewhere within two miles of Pine Valley. They split up – Tad, Jamie, and Amanda off to find Janet and Babe and JR to track down Krystal.
Janet, who has no clue about Adam’s adoption plans, begins to get distressed with the couple in the house. The couple spots the baby and while they’re busy oohing and ahhing over her, Janet tries to call Adam, but also gets no answer. Janet, clearly on the edge of reality, pulls out a knife, scaring the couple who are beginning to notice that something’s not quite right about her. She uses the knife to cut them a slice of coffee cake – her favorite recipe – while they wait for “Mr. Prince” (AKA: Adam) to meet them and finalize the adoption. While eating, however, she is bombarded with the memory of Erica’s television plea for Janet to call Amanda and begins to lose it. She bundles up the baby, tells the couple she’s going to get the baby pretty and fresh before she leaves, and disappears into a back room with her.
Ryan faces off with Derek at Pine Valley Hospital. Derek clearly suspects Jonathon of the shooting, but Ryan swears that Jonathon has an alibi – he was working at Confusion all day. Ryan tells Derek that he can’t pin every bad thing that happens in Pine Valley on Jonathon. Dr. Joe tells Derek that Alex is alive, but the bullet is lodged in Alex’s spine.
Back at the Chandler Mansion, Adam is flip with Krystal, telling her that he knows she won’t kill him because if he has anything to do with Jenny’s disappearance and he dies, Jenny’s whereabouts die, too. Krystal tells him that she’ll just torture him instead by maybe shooting off a kneecap, and then fires off a round or two around the room to prove she’s serious. JR and Babe arrive at the Chandler Mansion, only to find it empty. Krystal and Adam are suddenly nowhere to be found! But Colby finds them in one of the tunnels, Krystal still holding Adam at gunpoint. Colby begs them to stop, but Adam still won’t admit to having anything to do with Jenny’s disappearance and Krystal won’t drop the gun. Colby, upset, claims, “I have no family. I have no reason to live,” and steps in the line of fire just as JR and Babe stumble into the tunnels with them.
Back at Wildwind, Annie is startled by Jonathon, coming in through a back door in a hooded sweatshirt with the hood up, looking nervous and out of breath. What will this do to her suspicions of him as the killer?
Tad, Jamie, and Amanda burst through the door of Janet’s hideout and come face to face with the adoptive couple, still sitting on the couch, and an empty crib. Amanda immediately recognizes her mother’s favorite coffee cake. They search the house, but Janet and the baby are gone.
Next on All My Children:
Tad asks the couple who arranged the adoption and they tell him it’s “Mr. Prince.”
Janet is on the run with baby Jenny.
