At Victor and Hope's apartment, Victor made plans over the phone to see Dr. Elliott. After he hung up, Hope entered the room and called out for Victor. He assured her that he was right there, and she affectionately replied that she would find him anywhere. He kissed her and remarked that she was pretty, and they hugged. She noticed that he was dressed up, and she guessed that he had an appointment. Victor suggested that they go out to lunch together, but Hope explained that she was in the middle of doing something for the blind institute that couldn't wait.
Hope promised to try to be done with her project by the time Victor got home. They kissed, and he departed. The phone rang, and Hope made her way across the room to answer it. Jack declared that she was just the person he'd wanted to talk to, and she replied that it was nice to hear his voice. He hoped to stop by if the coast was clear. She mentioned that Victor had just left, but she was in the middle of something. He swore that it would only take a minute, and she invited him over.
Later, Jack arrived and thanked Hope for seeing him on short notice. He told her that she was looking good, and he supposed that she was curious as to why he was there. He requested that she hold out her hand, and she wondered if it was a trick. He insisted that he had something incredible to show her, and she extended her hand. He smiled.
Hope said she loved surprises, but she couldn't stand suspense. Jack placed a bottle in her hand, and she realized it was perfume. He informed her that she was holding the prototype for the container for Jabot's latest triumph -- a perfume called Hope. An emotional Hope couldn't believe that he had actually named a fragrance after her, but holding the bottle in her hand made it all very real. He assured her that it was real and that he'd wanted her to be the first to know. She gushed that she loved it.
Hope said she never would have believed in a million years that something like that would happen to her. Jack remarked that anything was possible, and she mused that she was learning that. He assumed that she was referring to life with Victor, and she marveled that a blind girl who'd never been more than ten miles from her Kansas farm was living in a beautiful apartment with a man like Victor. Jack considered Victor the lucky one to be with an incredible woman like her, adding that Victor didn't deserve her. She insisted that Victor had been very good to her and that she was very happy there. Jack's gut told him that she could be a whole lot happier, and he observed that she didn't have a ring on her finger.
Victor arrived at Newman Enterprises and was surprised to find Victoria there. She announced that she was moving in, since she wasn't working in the mailroom anymore. He asked what she planned on doing. She admitted that she hadn't figured that out yet, but she expected it to be creative, innovative, and very exciting. He admired her confidence, but he was disappointed because he believed that she should be making college a priority. She defiantly responded that she didn't see it that way.
Victor suspected that Victoria's husband thought she should go to college. Victoria asserted that Cole was letting it be her decision, which was hers to make. Victor realized how inflexible she was, and she teasingly wondered where she'd gotten that from. Victor chuckled, and Victoria asked what had been going on in his life, since she hadn't seen him at the ranch lately. She surmised that he was avoiding her mom, but he countered that he had no reason to do so. Victoria questioned where things stood with him and Hope.
Victoria pointed out that Victor and Hope had been together for months, and she didn't understand why they hadn't gotten married. Victoria concluded that it was because Victor didn't love Hope. Victor wondered when his daughter had become concerned with his personal life, and Victoria replied that she would always be concerned about her dad. He figured that it was her roundabout way of saying he didn't have the right to intrude on her life any more than she had the right to interfere in his. Victoria chirped that she had her office squared away, but she wasn't used to being away from her husband for that long, so she intended to take the rest of the day off. Victor replied that she didn't need his permission, and she headed out.
At the tack house, Cole was aghast when he found Victoria reading his manuscript. He reminded her that he hadn't wanted her to read it, but she was fascinated by how hot parts of it were. She wondered how he knew about those things, and he chalked it up to writers having vivid imaginations. She suspected it was more than that, since it was so sensuous and graphic that it seemed real, as if he'd experienced it. He confided that he had, but he liked to think of his manuscript as their love story.
Victoria protested that she and Cole hadn't even been close to doing the things his characters were doing. "Maybe not yet," he cooed. She had the feeling she might not know everything there was to know about him, and she pushed to know how many women had been in Cole's life before her. He warned that she was putting him in a no-win situation, since whatever he told her would bother her. She argued that it depended on what he told her, and she continued to press for details.
Cole claimed that he couldn't remember a thing that had happened to him before he'd met Victoria and that there was nothing worth remembering. He seductively added that he had other things on his mind, and they kissed. Cole was sure that he and Victoria had better things to do than have a stupid talk about the past, but she thought he was hiding something. He refused to talk about things that didn't matter, since all he could think about was her. They kissed passionately.
Victor entered Dr. Elliott's office, and the men shook hands. Victor said he'd heard a great deal about the doctor, since he wouldn't be there otherwise. Victor referred to the enormous strides that had been made in surgical techniques, with the possibility of doing things through transplants or laser surgery that had been unthinkable before. Victor asked if there was any hope for someone who'd been blind from birth to ever see.
In his office, Neil was on the phone when a man appeared at the door. Neil didn't notice him as he wrapped up the call. Neil looked up, and the men locked eyes. "You're Neil," the man said. "You're Malcolm," Neil sputtered. Malcolm noted that it had been a long time, adding, "Aren't you going to invite your brother in?" Neil gruffly replied that no one was stopping him.
Malcolm surveyed the posh office and observed that Neil seemed surprised he was there. Malcolm mentioned that Neil's wife had called him, and Neil coldly replied that it had been her idea. Malcolm questioned whether Neil was curious about his little brother, but Neil clarified that Malcolm was his half-brother. Malcolm commented about Neil's fancy suit, and Neil huffed that he was glad Malcolm approved. Malcolm scoffed at the idea of ever wearing anything like that himself.
Malcolm estimated that it had been five or six years since he and Neil had seen one another. Neil said he'd stopped counting, and Malcolm lectured that a man shouldn't be away from his family for that long. Neil demanded to know what Malcolm was doing there.
Neil deflected another phone call, and Malcolm commented that Neil was under a lot of pressure but playing the game pretty well. Neil asked what Malcolm was doing with himself, and Malcolm replied that he was hanging in. Neil questioned whether Malcolm had finished high school, and Malcolm expected Neil to be surprised that he had. Neil inquired about college, and Malcolm divulged that he'd learned a trade as a mechanic. Malcolm swore that he was a different man than the one he'd been when Neil had known him, but Neil was skeptical.
Neil pointed out that Malcolm still hadn't disclosed why he was there, and he assumed that his brother was just passing through town. Malcolm considered sticking around for a while, but Neil flatly stated that he didn't have room for Malcolm at his place. Malcolm swore that he wasn't there to lean on Neil, and he intended to find a job to make some cash. Neil reminded him that Dru had called -- not him. Malcolm was sure that Neil wouldn't let him forget it, but he anticipated that Neil wouldn't even know he was around. Neil grumbled that he'd believe it when he saw it.
Malcolm imagined that he and Neil would eventually run into one another again. Malcolm remarked that Neil really had it made, but Neil defended that his success hadn't been easy. Malcolm assumed that Neil was referring to being a black man, but Neil responded that it wasn't easy for any man. "If you say so," Malcolm muttered, and he headed for the door. Neil called after him and stated for the record that nothing would please him more than if Malcolm really had changed, and they could be brothers. Malcolm closed the door behind him on his way out. Neil sighed deeply.
In court, April was on trial for the murder of her husband, Dr. Robert Lynch. Prosecuting attorney Capshaw addressed her witness, who identified himself as Stanley Shelton, a desk clerk at the Carriage House Hotel. Stanley confirmed that he'd been on duty at the hotel when Robert had been a guest there. Stanley stated that he'd seen and spoken with Robert on the morning of the doctor's death, and Capshaw pressed to know what Robert had said. Christine objected, citing hearsay, but Capshaw snapped that Robert had simply requested that his bill be prepared. The judge overruled the objection and sternly told Christine that not everything said out of court was hearsay.
Capshaw prompted Stanley to describe how he'd gone to Robert's room after receiving an anonymous call. Stanley recounted that he'd talked to the maid before he'd found Robert lying on the floor with a letter opener sticking out of his back. Capshaw showed Stanley a photo and asked him if it accurately portrayed the scene. He pointed out that the letter opener was missing in the photo, and she asked him to use a grease pencil to identify where it had been when he'd seen it.
Capshaw pulled out an evidence bag containing a letter opener, and Stanley identified it as the one he'd seen sticking out of Robert's back. He further recalled that Robert had been dead, and Capshaw concluded her interrogation. John Silva addressed the witness and questioned whether the letter opener had been part of the room, and Stanley revealed that there was one in every room at the hotel. Silva stated that the person who'd used it to kill Robert hadn't arrived with a weapon but had used something already there in the room.
Capshaw questioned a doctor about the cause of Robert Lynch's death. The doctor explained that Robert had bled to death internally, but technically, the cause had been cardiac arrest, and death had occurred in a matter of minutes after the stabbing. Capshaw asked the doctor's opinion about the type of instrument that had caused the wound, and the doctor described a dull, knifelike object. The doctor stated that he'd examined the letter opener that the police had recovered, and it had matched the wound perfectly.
Capshaw inquired about the amount of force needed to inflict that kind of wound with that weapon, and the doctor testified that it couldn't have been inflicted by simply pressing it against the body. Capshaw speculated that the wound had been intentionally inflicted with a blow of considerable force. Silva pointed out that a small woman would almost have to throw herself at a person to cause such damage. The doctor envisioned that a small person would have lunged at Robert with both hands holding the weapon. Silva speculated that the event had occurred impulsively or in moment of rage.
Capshaw interrogated Dr. Greenfield, a fellow dentist who had taken over Robert's practice. She asked if Robert had been retiring. Greenfield explained that Robert had needed to go to Genoa City for a while, and Robert had arranged for Greenfield to watch over Robert's dental office in his absence. Capshaw asked why Robert had needed to make the trip. Greenfield recounted that Robert had said he'd been going to get his wife, who he'd cared for deeply and missed terribly, and Robert hadn't known how long he'd be gone.
Silva asked if Greenfield had believed everything Robert had said about his wife, and Greenfield replied that he'd had no reason not to believe it. Silva wondered if Robert had mentioned why his wife had been in Genoa City, and Capshaw objected. Silva protested that the prosecution wanted it both ways, and the judge noted that Capshaw had introduced the conversation. Greenfield recounted that Robert had said his wife had been in a mental institution, and Robert had been going to Genoa City to take her home.
Greenfield added that he'd believed Robert at the time, but he'd found out later that it hadn't been true. Silva contemplated why a man who'd claimed to love his wife would tell a lie like that, and Greenfield theorized that Robert had been embarrassed to admit his wife had left him. Silva pointed out that Robert could have made an innocuous excuse instead of slandering her, and he asserted that Robert's statements about loving and caring for his wife had been equally untruthful and should be disregarded.
Capshaw questioned Mrs. Thomas, who owned a travel agency across the street from the hotel. Mrs. Thomas revealed that she'd made reservations and issued airline tickets for Robert and his wife to travel to New York. Mrs. Thomas confirmed that she'd given Robert the tickets on the day he'd later been found murdered in his hotel room. Silva objected, and the judge instructed the jury to disregard the term "murdered." Silva suggested that Christine take the cross-examination, and she asked why Mrs. Thomas hadn't given April the ticket.
Mrs. Thomas explained that she'd never seen April, and Christine established that the ticket purchase hadn't necessarily meant that April had wanted to go to New York. Christine insinuated that Robert had been the type of man who'd liked to exercise control, regardless of what his wife had wanted. Capshaw objected, and Christine pointed out that the most Mrs. Thomas could say was that Robert had purchased an airline ticket for April. On redirect, Capshaw noted that April's ticket had been in Robert's possession when he'd left the travel agency, but they didn't know how April's ticket had gotten into April's possession the night the doctor had been killed.
Capshaw quizzed Mrs. Jefferson, a housekeeper at the hotel, about her conversation with Stanley about Robert. Mrs. Jefferson recalled that she'd heard Stanley tell someone that Robert had checked out, but at the time, she had just seen the doctor's luggage in his room when she'd gone in to clean. Mrs. Jefferson continued that she hadn't entered the room, and she'd moved on to the next room when she'd seen that Robert's things had still been there.
Capshaw inquired whether the maid had seen anyone else leave Robert's room on the morning in question. Silva piped up that there was no question that April had been in the room at the time, and the defense had already said in its opening statement that there was no dispute that she'd inflicted a fatal wound. The lawyers argued, and the judge ordered Capshaw to proceed with her witness.
Mrs. Jefferson recounted that she'd seen a woman leave the room less than one hour before Stanley had found the body, and she'd seen the same woman in a lineup at the police station later that night. Capshaw presented a photo of the lineup, and Mrs. Jefferson identified April as the woman. Silva protested that the prosecution was trying to prove murder by accumulating evidence that didn't even begin to address the issues of the case. Capshaw demanded that she be allowed to try her case.
The judge instructed the jury to disregard the comments of both counsel. Capshaw inquired whether Mrs. Jefferson recognized anyone in the courtroom as the person she'd seen leaving Robert's hotel room, and Mrs. Jefferson pointed to April. Silva asked if April had hidden or tried to conceal who she was, and Mrs. Jefferson responded that April hadn't. Capshaw questioned whether April had cried or called out for help -- or if she'd acted like a normal person after sticking a letter opener four inches into her husband's back. Chaos erupted in the courtroom as the judge called for order.
