"A new day dawned in Pine Valley. When Tad, still dressed in his bathrobe, finally wandered out of bed, he found a fully-dressed Dixie in the livingroom scribbling away on a notepad. Dixie told Tad that she was making notes of all the possible places that Palmer could have headed. Tad was impressed, saying that he used to do the same thing during his days as a private eye. Dixie smiled coyly and said that she'd "learned from the master." A little while later, Adrian, Jack, and Mike showed up at Tad's door. The trio hoped that they might be able to learn a little more about Palmer's disappearance from Tad and Dixie. Dixie was still angry about the search because she knew it would be only a matter of time before her uncle was serving jail time. Mike said that it was better to find Palmer now than later. Mike's behavior hinted that there was something that he was holding back. After an awkward pause, Mike said that while the stolen paintings were worth a mint, they held a secret link to an even greater fortune. Word had it that a list of Nazi operatives had been hidden behind a fake canvas on one of the paintings. In addition to the names of Nazi operatives, the list was also believed to give the locations where numerous Nazi treasures had been hidden. Anyone with the list had easy access to these vast riches---only those who had the list usually ended up dead relatively quickly. Tad couldn't believe his ears. Jack stepped in to verify everything that Mike had said. Jack asked if he could see the list that Dixie had made, but Tad said that they weren't with the list until some type of deal had been reached. Tad said that he wanted Palmer to have full immunity if he turned over the paintings. Jack nodded his head and said that a similar deal had already been proposed. Tad knew of the deal, but said that he wanted the deal in writing. Jack puckered his lips and said that a written deal could take many, many weeks to obtain. Amazingly, things speeded up when Tad reminded Jack that he was the host of a talk show, a talk show that could air numerous pieces on "How I got screwed by Uncle Sam." Within a few minutes, a fax came through with a deal that promised that Palmer would no serve any jail time---provided that he cooperated. The deal fixed, Dixie handed over her list and the three agents dashed off. Dixie crossed her arms and flashed a smile at Tad. She thanked him for his help, but wondered why Tad would go out of his way to help Palmer, a man that Tad didn't like. Tad said that he wanted to see Dixie happy. The back doors swung open and Opal slowly walked into the room. Opal, dressed in black from head to toe, looked somber and spaced out. She plopped two shopping bags on a table and told Tad that she'd been out shopping. The two bags contained, shirts, shoes, and sweaters for Tad and Jamie. Opal assured her son that everything was the right size because she carries a little book in her purse that lists everyone's clothing sizes. Tad knew that her mother was out of it and offered her a seat. Opal claimed that she felt fine and continued walking around the house. She looked towards Dixie and said that the car was full of handbags, any of which Dixie was free to have. Tad took his mother by the shoulders and told her that he had late breaking news about Palmer. "They found a body?" Opal asked with tears forming in her eyes. Tad shook his head and said that he had reason to believe that Palmer was still alive.
At Wildwind, Eugenia>, Edmund, and Dimitri sat down for breakfast. Eugenia mentioned that she heard strange noises coming from one of the vacant guest rooms. Dimitri heard noises too, prompting Edmund to see if one of his housekeepers was napping on the job. Gillian strolled into the dining room and was asked if she heard any noises the night before. Gillian became extremely nervous and stated that she'd fallen asleep early and heard nothing. The truth was, of course, that she had been with David. Her cover was nearly blown when Ryan joined the group and asked Gillian why she hadn't gotten in 'til late. Again, Gillian insisted that she was in bed by 11:45 and asleep by 12:30. Raquel appeared in the doorway and Eugenia announced that she believed they'd found their "ghost." Raquel smiled meekly and said, "Boo." Edmund watched the woman as she approached the table and asked her who she was. Raquel said that she was one of Mateo's high school chums. She was invited to the table and soon chatted it up like she was an old family friend. Raquel told Edmund that his home was beautiful, but wanted to know if everyone at the table was related. "Think of us as the Addams Family," Dimitri chirped, "only with better complexions." Edmund offered the run down on how everyone was related, but he left out the one thing that Raquel most wanted to know: How did Mateo fit into the family tree. Edmund stated that he had married Mateo's oldest sister. Raquel's face lit up. Raquel said that she liked Maria a great deal and asked if Maria was living in the house too. A silence crept over the table as Edmund announced that Maria had been killed. Raquel got out of her chair and headed to the head of the table. She took Edmund's hand and told him how sorry she was. "Maria and I were like sisters," Raquel reminisced. Raquel called Maria "an inspiration" who had taught her never to give up on a dream. She was about to relate a story about Hector's reaction to a really short haircut that Maria had gotten, but the story abruptly ended when Mateo and Hayley appeared in the doorway. Gillian, who had been quiet until this point, decided that she had things to say. She said that she wished she could have seen Hayley's face when she met Mateo's old girlfriend. Raquel took objection to being called an "old girlfriend." Her forehead crinkled, Raquel blurted out, "I'm more than his old girlfriend---I'm his wife." Eugenia dropped her juice glass after hearing the shocking news. "You can't both be Mateo's wife," Gillian said merrily. Mateo reached over and grabbed Raquel's arm. He told her that he needed to speak to her in private---and he wasn't happy. Ryan and Eugenia tried to get Gillian to keep her mouth closed, but it didn't do any good. She mused that Hayley must have had no idea that she married a bigamist. Eugenia chimed in that Mateo was not a bigamist, then asking, "Is he a Mormon?" Hayley looked sternly at Gillian and told the princess that due to some legal glitch, Mateo and Raquel's marriage had not been annulled as planned. Edmund and Dimitri filed out of the room so that Hayley could eat in peace. Gillian couldn't take the hint and kept making snide remarks. She was really enjoying seeing Hayley suffer. Gillian asked Hayley if she and Mateo had managed to renew their vows before Raquel broke the news of her marriage to Mateo. She put her finger to her chin and then remarked that it wouldn't have mattered when Raquel dropped her bombshell because the marriage would have been invalid anyway---just like their first marriage. Hayley looked as it she was going to throw silverware at Gillian. She refrained, but she did give Gillian one of those "if looks could kill" glares. Hayley stormed out of the room with Ryan following after her. Eugenia scolded her granddaughter and, in one of the Duchess' most stern displays to date, told Gillian that she didn't want to see or hear from her for the rest of the morning.
Ryan followed Hayley to her bedroom, where she was beating and throwing pillows. Ryan tried to help ease Hayley's anger, but he didn't really do a good job. He tried to make Hayley see that Mateo might not be such a good guy after all. Not only had Mateo been overbearing while having his trips to "future world," but now he was keeping secrets about past marriages. Hayley didn't want to hear a lecture from a man who had nearly gone to jail for being a scam artist---and then married a princess in the hopes of getting his hands on a fortune. Ryan was hurt by Hayley's scathing remarks and told Hayley that he thinks she's yelling at the wrong guy.
Back downstairs, Edmund pulled Dimitri aside and asked him for some advice on Kit's quest to prove that she was one the sister of one of someone living in town. The two brothers were forced to examine their rocky relationship. Dimitri remembered that he was opposed to having a DNA test performed because he didn't want to admit that his father had not been perfect. In retrospect, Dimitri said that being forced to take the DNA test was the best thing that had ever happened to him. Dimitri wanted to know who Kit believed was her brother, but Edmund said that the man's identity was not important. Edmund headed out for a little while. While he was gone, Kit showed up at Wildwind. One of the housekeepers asked Dimitri if she should send the woman away or have her wait until Edmund returned. Dimitri smiled broadly and told the housekeeper to show Kit in. Kit entered the office area and apologized for intruding. Dimitri said that she was not intruding. He stated that Edmund had told him all about Kit's situation and offered his assistance.
At a hotel somewhere in Manhattan, Palmer adjusted a picture of Opal and Petey by his bedside. He headed to the door so that he could retrieve his morning paper. When he opened the door, a young man happened to be passing by and immediately recognized him. The man told Palmer that he wanted to work for him, but Palmer wanted nothing to do with the gentleman. Palmer slammed the door and told the man that if he ever tried to contact him, he'd be in big trouble. Palmer returned to his bedside chair and ogled his paintings. When a knock sounded at the door, Palmer assumed that the stranger from the hallway had returned. Palmer hid the paintings in a closet and headed for the door. When Palmer opened the door, he found him self looking at the barrel of a handgun. Two thuggish men stood before Palmer. The one, presumably the leader of the operation, referred to Palmer as "Private Cooney," the name Palmer had gone by during his days in the service. "We're here to pick up our paintings," the man snarled. Palmer was shaking in his boots, but he wasn't about to admit that he had the paintings with him. Palmer pointed to the "monstrosities" hanging on the hotel wall and told the men that they were welcome to the paintings. The gunman tired of Palmer's delays and asked his boss if he could "end it" right then and there. The first thug urged his partner to keep cool. That coolness might have been the men's undoing. The young man who had spotted Palmer in the hallway happened to be passing by Palmer's room when he heard strange voices coming from inside. He peeked through the cracked door and saw the two thugs holding Palmer at gunpoint. He slipped into the room and used his briefcase the knock the gun away. He then clobbered the gunman with his briefcase. While the head thus was distracted, Palmer whapped him on the head with a glass vase. Both men fell to the floor. An undetermined amount of time later, Adrian, Mike, and Jack descended on the hotel room. Mike kicked the door open and found a surprise waiting for him---the two thugs had been tied to a pair of chairs. The men knew that Palmer had been there and that he was more feisty than they'd imagined.
Back at Wildwind, Mateo blasted Raquel for the way that she'd blurted out the news that she was his wife. Raquel didn't like being talked down to and told Mateo that he was acting just like his father. "I am your only wife in God's eyes," she commented. Mateo disagreed. Over the past year, he said firmly, God has blessed him by placing Hayley in his life. Hayley, he said, was the wife he'd always wanted. That did not in any way discount the feelings that Mateo had once had for Raquel. "I did love you," he admitted. He said that when he couldn't find Raquel, he moved on with his life and, ultimately, he fell in love with Hayley. "It breaks my heart to hurt you," Mateo said softly. He said that the entire mess would be cleared up just as soon as they could contact a lawyer. Raquel laughed slightly and told Mateo that he'd gotten everything wrong. She had no intention of getting an annulment or even a divorce. "I am going to stay your wife," she said."
- Soap Central