Opal continued to stand just outside the tack room as Leo and Vanessa discussed Vanessa's affair with her chauffeur. Vanessa feared that if anyone caught wind of her affair, she'd be thrown out on her ear by Palmer. Leo questioned how his mother could be so careless, to which Vanessa simply replied, "I'm weak. I'm only human." Leo shook his head and took a deep breath before walking off to give his mother's situation some thought. Vanessa tried to piece herself together, but before she could leave Opal stepped into the doorway with a scowl planted firmly on her face. Opal questioned why Vanessa was in the stables. "Maybe your chauffeur's gonna swing by and take you for another wild ride," Opal snapped. Vanessa puckered her lips slightly and asked Opal to cut ahead to the part where she blackmails her. Opal refused to take part in any blackmail and instead said that she wished she had a tape recorder so that she could have played Vanessa's confession to Palmer. Vanessa stepped towards Opal and icily dared her to go to Palmer and tell him about her affair. In the distance, Palmer's voice could be heard calling out for his missing wife. Vanessa's eyes widened, but Opal remained silent. Exactly why Opal opted to be quiet remained a mystery to Vanessa. Nevertheless, Vanessa thanked Opal for not summoning Palmer to the tack room. Her thanks, however, was short-lived. Vanessa haughtily claimed that Opal was jealous of her life and her style. "You'd kill to walk in my shoes," Vanessa sneered. She then waved her finger daringly at Opal and warned her that she'd be sorry if she did decide to tell Palmer about her infidelity. "If you should choose to open your big hog-calling mouth, I will bring you down and destroy your entire family as well," Vanessa hissed.
The partygoers reacted with audible gasps as David clobbered Roger and sent him tumbling to the ground. David claimed that he'd punched Roger because it was the only way he could think of to get him to stop drinking. Jake wandered over and blasted David for abusing his patient. "Most doctors treat their patients with care," lectured Jake. Still on the floor, Roger yelled that the only thing David cared about were "his stinking drugs." As all eyes fell on David, David quickly clarified that the drugs in question were the heart pills he's prescribed to Roger. Roger finally got to his feet and Greenlee raced over to his side. Greenlee blasted David for punching her dad and vowed to find him another doctor. Greenlee led her dad to a nearby room and asked him if David had slugged him because of the "secret" he had threatened to expose. Roger bowed his head and muttered that he had no secret and that he outburst must have been the alcohol talking. "Party on! Happy New Year," Roger chirped before walking away. Greenlee returned to the party and immediately found comfort in Jake's arms. Mia, who'd been off in search of champagne, turned and walked away in rejection upon seeing Jake and Greenlee together. Greenlee asked Jake for help in getting her father medical attention, but Jake coldly refused to help out. He told Greenlee to find her fiancé and stop bothering him.
Back in the ballroom, Dixie asked David to apologize for making a scene and then leave the party. David refused. A Wildwind security guard caught sight of the spectacle and asked that David leave the grounds. David refused, but the guard threatened to call in reinforcements. David relented and agreed to leave.
Across the room, Chris handed Anna a vial of truth serum and ordered Anna to slip some into David's drink with the hopes of getting him to confess that he is Proteus. Anna refused to do as Chris wished, saying that David's confession - if there was one - would be forced. She then quickly followed that up with a statement that she was still sure that David wasn't Proteus. Upon seeing the spectacle David created with Roger, Chris was convinced that David socked it to Roger to keep him from revealing information about Proteus.
Elsewhere, Brooke and Edmund had thoughts similar to Chris. Noting that David was seemingly spiraling out of control, the pair pointed to Hayley's research about Proteus nearly unraveling when things close in around him.
Liza and Adam arrived together, albeit more than just a little fashionably late. Ryan sauntered over to them and remarked, "Pine Valley's power couple... out together." Before any insults were hurled, Liza asked if they could all agree to be civil for at least one evening. Adam and Ryan both agreed. Liza and Adam were both upset to learn that Ryan had accompanied Hayley to the party. They were even more upset when they learned that Mateo and Simone were there together. Ryan hadn't seen Hayley in some time and offered to find out where she'd gone. After Ryan left, Liza and Adam both agreed that they wanted to pummel Mateo for breaking Hayley's heart. Adam made a point to note that he had acted civil towards Ryan. Liza nodded and applauded her husband's "admirable restraint." Adam and Liza tracked down Dixie and greeted her. Adam excused himself to speak to a friend. After he'd left, Dixie praised Liza for somehow getting Adam to change for the better. Liza seemed almost disappointed that Adam had, in fact, "changed" and even more so that others had noticed his change. After Dixie left, the attorney that Liza had hired quickly slinked over to ask Liza why she hadn't been returning his calls. Liza warned the man that talking in public was not such a good idea.
Simone and Mateo looked over the guest list to find out if they could deduce who might be Proteus. As they talked, Chris wandered over and asked Mateo for a moment of his time. Chris handed Mateo a letter from Julia. Mateo was surprised that Chris had gotten through to Julia because of her status in the Witness Protection Program. Chris warned Mateo that he knew what he was doing - that he and Hayley were trying to smoke out Proteus on their own. He warned him that he's always being watched and that someone else could find out what he was doing and cause serious problems.
Adam stormed over to Simone and pulled her into another room. There, he asked Simone if she enjoys playing the part of Mateo's whore. Adam threatened to ruin Simone if she didn't back off and stop making Hayley miserable.
Leo returned to the main house and found Mia sitting alone on the main staircase. He sat beside her and mentioned that he hoped Greenlee wouldn't be mad that he was gone so long. Mia matter-of-factly mentioned that Greenlee was with Jake. Leo tracked down Greenlee and learned of the encounter between her and Jake. Leo expressed his concern that Greenlee hadn't turned to him. Greenlee reminded Leo that he hadn't been around, prompting her to ask him if he'd been with Vanessa the whole time. Leo nodded and told Greenlee that she didn't want to know what had gone on with his mother.
Mia returned to Jake's side and the pair danced. However, Mia was fixated on Greenlee and the fact that she and Jake had been together. Mia claimed that her foot was hurting and she and Jake left the dance floor. Jake spotted Greenlee and told Mia that his New Year's Resolution was to get rid of problems from the past. Ryan wandered into the room and spotted Mia and Jake together and Mia agreed that she'd have to do the same thing.
Anna followed David back to his cabin getaway. Anna toyed with the idea of slipping the truth serum into David's drink, but she reconsidered. She told David that she could have administered the serum - and used her refusal to trick him as a sign that she really cared for him and believed in him. The offering was lost on David, who declined to tell Anna what had caused him to go so out of control at the party. Anna took David's silence as a sign that he really didn't care for her. She rose to her feet and stormed out of the cabin. After Anna left, David headed to his desk and pulled out a vial and a syringe. He carefully measured an amount of the contents of the vial and walked away from the desk. He sat down in his chair and wrapped a tourniquet around his arm. Then very carefully, he injected himself with the mysterious clear liquid. A file folder with information about Dixie's medical history sat open on his desk.
Opal stood in the ballroom quietly. When Hank approached her from behind, Opal jumped and spilled her drink all over him. Hank wondered what had made Opal so nervous, but Opal refused to respond. Palmer and Vanessa wandered over and bid the pair farewell; they claimed that they wanted to celebrate the new year in private.
As the crowd counted down to midnight, Ryan left the party and spoke aloud to Gillian. He told her that he would devote all of his energy in 2002 to "tearing apart" Adam Chandler.
Mateo tracked down Simone and told her of his run-in with Chris. He feared that Chris was Proteus and that he might do harm to Hayley. Mateo headed to his laptop computer and hurried to try to put back the money that he had stolen from Proteus' account. Mateo feared that if Chris logged in and found the money missing he'd surely go after Hayley. Mateo realized when he logged into the system that Proteus had already logged in - and probably already knew that the money was missing.
At a laptop computer at an unknown location, someone else logged into the computer system. "Damn you, Mateo," the voice snapped. "You should never toy with Proteus." As the camera panned up, it revealed the face of Proteus - Vanessa Cortlandt.
Due to the New Year's holiday, today's regularly scheduled original episode was not shown. Programming will resume on Wednesday, January 2nd with no lost episodes - the action will pick up exactly where it left off.
On behalf of everyone at Soap Opera Central, we wish you and your loved ones a very happy, healthy, safe and prosperous 2002. We'd also like to thank you for visiting the Soap Opera Central web site in 2001 and making 2001 our biggest year to date. Here's hoping that you'll continue to visit in 2002 - and that 2002 is an even better year!
Dan J Kroll
Owner/Founder, Soap Opera Central
Brooke searched for Edmund in the ballroom but couldn't find him. Finally he came up behind her and said he was sorry for being so preoccupied during the ball. She said they at least snuck in one dance together. Edmund proposed a toast and grabbed 2 glasses of champagne. As he lifted his glass he saw a man who had donated all the flowers for the ball and realized he hadn't yet spoken with him. He handed his glass to Brooke and excused himself. Brooke lifted the two glasses up and clinked them together in a mock toast. Across the room her son Jamie talked into a walkie-talkie, saying "It's time for Operation Slow Dance!."
Jake asked Mia to dance again but she said her ankle was not feeling up to another spin around the ballroom. Jake insisted that she stand on his feet and let him do the dancing for them. She agreed and off they went, while Leo and Greenlee danced nearby. Greenlee looked on jealously and Leo asked if she was ready to go. She said she was ready to go anywhere he wanted and they left the party. Meanwhile Mateo told Simone that it had been 2 hours since Proteus logged onto the computer site and saw that Mat had stolen money. They decided not to wait around and also left the party.
Outside Wildwind, Vanessa sat in her limo. She told Larry the driver to keep the car running and said to herself that Mateo couldn't stay at the party forever. Just then she saw Mateo and Simone come outside and she told Larry to follow Mateo at a discreet distance. They trailed Mateo to SOS, where Leo and Greenlee had also gone. Leo and Greenlee walked into SOS and began to dance. Greenlee apologized for being distracted at the ball but Leo said it was okay; a lot of people were going to try to come between them and they needed to just focus on each other. Simone and Mateo stood behind the bar and looked through the small crowd, wondering if one of the patrons was really Proteus. Vanessa strolled in and Mateo asked if she was alone, since they were getting ready to close up. Vanessa said she was looking for her son and found Leo with Greenlee. She walked over to them and said she needed to speak to Leo alone, so Greenlee went to the powder room. Vanessa told Leo that Opal overheard their conversation and knows that she was unfaithful to Palmer. Leo was not sympathetic and told her to go on home, surely she had a "plan B." Vanessa put on an act and said she just couldn't go home and she was just sure she was going to lose everything. Leo left to go outside and bring in Larry to help Vanessa back to the car. Vanessa went to the bar where Mateo stood and told him she'd been betrayed by her own son. She said she'd never felt so alone and started to cry crocodile tears. Mateo handed her his handkerchief and Vanessa told him he was a good man. Mateo said he hadn't been lately. Vanessa continued the praise, saying she'd been envious of Mateo and his marriage with Hayley. She went on and on about what a good life he has and Mateo finally spoke up and told her that he and Hayley had split up. Simone came over and put her hands on Mateo to drive home the point. Leo returned with Larry and Vanessa cried and begged Leo to talk to her. Leo refused and walked away. Vanessa sat down and said she wasn't going anywhere until she was ready. Again she told Mateo what a good man he was. Across the room Leo joined Greenlee and asked when a man could quit babysitting his own mother. He left to go call Palmer and Greenlee went to Vanessa's table to have a word with "Mommy Dearest." At the bar Simone and Mateo wondered when Proteus would make "his" move. Mat checked on Hayley and all was well with her. Greenlee told Vanessa to lay off Leo and quit doing a number on him. She told Vanessa that Leo didn't need her and that she was an embarrassment and had better back off. Greenlee marched off and joined Leo, who said Palmer told him to take care of his mother himself. Greenlee told Leo that she "handled" Vanessa and that she thinks Vanessa finally got the message. Leo said his mother doesn't take orders and won't be that easy to lose. Vanessa sat at her table looking very smug and sly. She got up and went to the bar to speak to Mateo again. She thanked him for his kindness and as she walked away she pretended to twist her ankle. Mateo offered to help her out to her limo and Simone stayed behind. At the car Vanessa poured on the charm and thanked Mateo for helping her. He walked back to SOS and Vanessa was very proud of herself, saying "He has no idea who I am!." She said she was going to milk this for all its worth and that first she'll get Mateo to really like her.
Anna went to David's cabin, where she found David slumped on the floor in very bad shape. He muttered something about doing this for her. Anna picked up the phone to call for help but David cried out that if she did she'd kill him. David admitted that he injected himself with a drug that could be a cure for a disease. "A disease that could kill you Dixie!!!" he moaned. Anna tried to help make David comfortable but he was in bad shape, and was hallucinating, thinking that Anna was Dixie. He told "Dixie" that she has the same rare, genetic disease that killed her mother and that he's been working on the cure for her. David said no one had told her about it because they were afraid to. He said Roger Smythe has the same disease and he tried to give him the drug but Roger was reckless and kept messing up. So David tested it on himself so he'd know it was safe enough to give Dixie. "I knew it! You're not Proteus!" Anna said to herself. She covered David with a blanket and said she could use this information to prove to Chris Stamp that David wasn't Proteus. David called her Dixie again and said he could save her but wanted one thing from her. Anna asked what and David said he wanted her forgiveness for how he'd hurt her. Anna avoided saying anything and fussed over him some more. He asked if his drug was safe and begged "Dixie" to forgive him. Then he cried out in pain and slumped back.
At the ball, Mia told Jake he was noble for letting her dance on his feet, and that she felt like Cinderella. Jake asked if she was tired and Mia said yes, but it was a good tired. She wondered if they could go someplace a little quieter and he agreed. But first he wanted to know if she could do anything she wanted right now, what would it be. Mia said she'd get 2 horses and ride into the sunset. Jake said he could do that and took her to the stables. He left her in the tack room to find some riding clothes while he got a horse ready for her. He called out to her that he found a very spirited one named Thunder and Mia began to get very nervous. Jake said he was bringing the horse in and to stand back, it was a lively one! Mia was terrified until Jake walked in carrying a small white kitten. Mia was thrilled to see the kitten instead of the horse and took the kitten from Jake. He told Mia how glad he was to get away from the ball and she was surprised, she thought he seemed comfortable there. Jake said a lot of people assume things about him -- he's good ol' dependable Jake, reliable Jake. He told her about bucking the system once, how he quit med school and bought a boat. He said he didn't sail around the world like he'd hoped because he was a romantic and wanted a woman to be there with him. Mia said she would've gone with him if he'd asked her. Jake asked if she was impulsive and she said yes but that he wasn't going to be able to pull her past out of her tonight. Mia told him he was spontaneous and he said he was maybe a little impulsive too, and kissed her. They kissed several more times and then Jake pulled back, telling her that he liked her. Mia said she liked him too and that maybe they could do this again sometime. Jake asked her to breakfast and off they went, including Thunder the kitten who was hidden under Mia's clothes.
In the ballroom, Brooke walked over to Jamie, Sam and Maddie. She saw Jamie talking on the walkie talkie and wondered who was on the other end. Jamie said "nobody" and just then "Gap's" voice came over the speaker. Jamie ran off, followed by the other 2 children. Brooke stood there waiting for Edmund while the children joined Phoebe (a.k.a Gap) in another room. Phoebe said it was time to get back into the dance room, it was time for "Operation Slow Dance." Jamie wheeled her back into the room. Maddie joined Brooke and they sat down. Brooke noticed Jamie talking to some of the guests and wondered what he was doing. Maddie said "Nothing!" and ran off. Edmund returned finally and Brooke told him their sons did this, cleared the ballroom. They stood there all alone and suddenly music started. Edmund said the band had left and Brooke wondered if he had arranged this. He said no but there was no sense in wasting a good song and whisked her onto the dance floor. They held each other close and swayed to the music as the children and Phoebe watched from the wings, smiling. Jamie said they looked happy and Phoebe said "They'll stay happy if it's the last thing I do in my lifetime!." She told them pile into her limo, they were all going back to her place for a sleep over. Jamie asked if his mom knew and she told him no, but Edmund did and he'd tell Brooke. They left as Brooke and Edmund shared a kiss. They glided around the dance floor, gazing into each other's eyes. They stopped and Edmund kissed Brooke and said he loved her. Brooke said she loved him too and they walked out of the ballroom with their arms wrapped around each other. When they got to the staircase, Edmund picked Brooke up and carried her to his room.
At Erica's house, Opal is worried though Erica appears deceptively calm. Opal understands that Erica is sacrificing herself for her daughter's sake, but she is concerned what will happen when Bianca remembers that she was the one who killed Frankie. Erica tells her that when and if Bianca remembers, no one will believe her. Everyone will think Bianca is trying to save her mother. Erica believes that Bianca's memories may be buried forever when they are replaced with hatred for Erica killing the woman she loved.
Opal frets about having to testify. She is afraid Jackson will ask her if Erica ever confessed to killing Frankie. Chris goes over her testimony and assures Opal that as long as she tells the truth as she knows it, everything will be fine.
Jackson is at the courthouse preparing for the trial. He must come to terms with the question of how he can possibly put Erica in prison. He decides that he must, because it is his job as a prosecutor.
The trial begins with an opening statement from Jackson. He sums up the chain of events leading to Frankie's death and paints Erica as a mother who killed to protect her daughter from a disastrous relationship. Next, Chris gives the point of view of the defense. He brings up Frankie's character and the fact that her lifestyle produced many enemies. Both Jackson and Chris give convincing arguments. Jack then calls Vanessa as his first witness.
Vanessa puts on quite a performance as the grieving aunt, and bravely describes her niece as an innocent child. She tearfully recounts Erica's threats on Frankie's life. Chris attempts to refute her testimony. He accuses Vanessa of using Frankie's murder as an excuse to vent her hatred of Erica. Vanessa remains adamant that Erica is guilty and must be punished.
Bianca is at the Wildwind stables trying desperately to remember the events of the night Frankie was killed. Leo comes in and together they discuss what Bianca must do to come to terms with her lack of memories. Leo also brings Bianca the book of sonnets that Frankie gave her. As Bianca leafs through the book, she begins to remember something. As she starts to tell Leo about it, they are startled by a noise outside the stables. Someone is watching them.
Edmund and Brooke are having a blissful morning in bed at Wildwind. They are interrupted by a phone call from Bianca telling them that there may be a prowler on the grounds. Bianca and Leo then leave the stables for the courthouse. Shortly afterwards, a figure enters the stables. All that can be seen are some fashionable, high-heeled, leather boots walking around. The mystery person then can be seen picking up Bianca's riding hat.
Adam and Liza return home from Erica's trial and find Winifred getting Colby dressed to go to the zoo. Adam playfully teases Colby about the crocodiles and to check out the pandas for him. As they leave for their outing, Hayley, carrying a shopping bag, enters the room, surprised to see Adam and Liza and makes a lame excuse why she is home so early from WRCW. Adam is concerned Hayley doesn't look well. He openly criticizes Mateo's latest bizarre behavior and his flouting of his relationship with his mistress, Simone. Hayley feigns a headache and tells them she is just going to vegge out for a while. Liza quickly finds some aspirin for Hayley while Adam hands her a glass of water. Winifred returns to the Manson, explaining Colby can't find her little pocketbook so the three split up to search for it. As they leave the living room, Hayley spits out the aspirin and breathlessly hurries to join Mateo at their secret meeting place, one of the hidden tunnels at Chandler Mansion.
Hayley and Mateo passionately embrace. Hayley is doubtful that she can continue to carry on the charade. Mateo gives her a hug and assures her it won't be too much longer. Mateo expresses his uncertainty that Proteus is falling into his trap. Hayley realizes that Mateo must really be freaked out because he doesn't remember what day it is. She reaches into her shopping bag and pulls out a wrapped gift box and hands it to Mateo. Mateo is puzzled. "Who's the present for," he asks. He suddenly remembers it's his birthday and quickly unwraps the box to find a ceramic handprint from Enzo. Mateo sentimentally muses with Hayley about how quickly Enzo's hands will be bigger than Mateo's and they wish the game with Proteus was over. Hayley returns to the shopping bag, commenting, "Now for my present." She pulls out a lacey negligee "for inspiration."
After they have made love, Mateo thanks Hayley for her birthday present. Her happiness ends quickly when Mateo's cell phone rings. Vanessa, in her chauffeured car, places a voice-altering device over her cell phone mouthpiece and wishes Mateo a happy birthday. She toys with him. "Have you been a good boy?" she asks. Hayley and Mateo, stunned, gaze around the room, anxiously wondering if they are being watched.
Liza and Adam rejoin each other in the living room. Liza tells Adam she is pleasantly surprised that he is really changing his behavior and that he is earning her trust. She tells him she wants to be his wife for the rest of her life and to raise Colby with him, together. They agree to make it happen. Later on, they return to the living room from the upstairs bedroom, buttoning their clothing. The doorbell rings and Adams goes to answer it. He returns, looking puzzled at Liza. It was a messenger delivering legal papers to Adam. "It seems you're divorcing me," he tells Liza.
At his mountain cabin, David wakes up from his delirious sleep. Seeing Anna, he asks what happened. She replies she knows everything now. She and David discuss the research drug David is giving himself. She now knows that David is trying to find a cure for the disease that killed Dixie's mother. David is fearful that the same thing will happen toDixie. David, woozy from his drug induced experiment on himself, implores Anna to keep what she knows and witnessed about the drug experiment a secret. Anna tells David she think he is very noble and heroic. She is frustrated as well because she can't figure out why David won't trust anyone including her. She questions David about this. He replies that it will kill him if he does. She now knows that his drug testing is unethical and he could lose his license as a doctor. She has enough evidence to convict him. Anna realizes David still loves Dixie and asks David to confirm her thoughts. He avoids answering her question. Instead he asks Anna what she is going to do with the information she now knows. Anna assures David she wants to help him as his assistant and as she goes to get his notes, David suffers a pain in his chest and collapses. When she comforts David, he gazes into her eyes. They kiss passionately. When David regains his strength, he and Anna decide to leave the cabin. As Anna walks past David, he grabs her purse. Opening it, he pulls out the syringe with the truth serum in it. He asks Anna, "What were you saying about trust? What is this?" Anna gives David a thoughtful look as she ponders her answer.
Vanessa Cortlandt continues her testimony at Erica's trial. Her hysterics escalate as she accuses Erica of killing her precious niece. The judge cautions her to cease her outbursts or be in contempt of court. Vanessa tones it down somewhat as Leo and Bianca enter the courtroom, looking stunned at her theatrics. Chris Stamp has no further questions for Vanessa so she is excused. She rejoins Palmer in the gallery trying to look the part of the outraged aunt. The bailiff tells Bianca she must leave the courtroom as she is a witness and she must wait outside until she is called to testify. She leaves with Leo.
Soon after, Vanessa and Palmer also leave the courtroom. When Vanessa sees Leo waiting in the corridor, she happily thanks Leo for being there to support her. Her happiness quickly turns to disappointment when Leo replies he is solely there to support Bianca. Leo lashes out at Vanessa that she probably enjoyed sticking it to Erica while testifying. Vanessa replies defiantly that Erica got what she deserves. Turning to Palmer for solace she continues, "Palmer, you know I'm here to serve justice. To which Palmer replies, "You got what you always serve—yourself." Palmers leads Vanessa away from the courthouse.
Opal reluctantly walks to the witness stand as she is called to testify by the DA, Jack Montgomery. She places her hand uncomfortably on the Bible. As she is being sworn in, she momentarily flashes back to her earlier conversation with Erica in Erica's living room. Opal questions Erica wondering if she knows what she is doing. If Bianca's memory returns at any moment what will Erica do then. Erica assures Opal Bianca will not remember. But Opal isn't convinced. What if Bianca remembers she killed Frankie? Erica is confident that it will be too late as she plans to be convicted as Frankie's killer. Opal is concerned that Bianca will try to contradict Erica's story but Erica assures Opal that no one will believe Bianca. They will think Bianca is trying to protect her mother. Opal shakes her head, not convinced Erica's plan will work.
Opal snaps back to the reality of the courtroom when the court clerk loudly asks her if she will testify truthfully. Opal replies she will and the questioning by the DA begins. He asks Opal if Erica confides in her. Opals replies, "That's what best friends do." Jack, aware that Opal may try not to completely tell the truth in her attempt to protect Erica, questions Opal's belief in God and will she tell the whole truth. Opal replies she will. However as Jack continues questioning her about being truthful, Opal becomes flustered and replies that there isn't a yes or no answer to the question. Jack asks and receives approval to consider Opal a hostile witness. He continues his questioning and asks Opal if Erica ever said she hated Frankie. Opal replies reluctantly, "Yes." She continued with her testimony saying that Erica wasn't happy about Bianca's relationship with Frankie and that Erica swore she would kill Frankie. Erica told her she would do anything to protect her daughter.
For cross examination, Chris has no questions for Opal so she is excused and she returns to her seat behind Erica, feeling she has betrayed her friend. Erica turns to her, touches Opal's hand and tells her everything is ok.
Jack calls Bianca as the next witness. Bianca enters the courtroom, takes the stand and Jack begins to question her about her relationship with Frankie and what attracted her to Frankie. Bianca felt that she could trust Frankie and that she was a good person. Jack probed further asking Bianca what did her mother, Erica, think about their relationship. Bianca implored her uncle not to make her testify. But she is told to continue. As she does, Chris Stamp writes something on a notepad, underlining it several times, and then passes the pad to Erica to read.
Jack asks Bianca more questions about Frankie and why would her mother be fearful of her relationship. Bianca tearfully responded she was going to be 18 soon and she was going to leave her mother to live with Frankie. Bianca confesses she thought her mother was ashamed of her because she was a lesbian. Bianca temporarily regains her composure and emphatically questions her mother, "Why did you do it. Why did you kill Frankie?" Erica stands up to answer Bianca and faints.
After Erica is revived, she and Chris begin to quietly argue whether or not Chris should cross-examine Bianca's testimony. Erica is emphatic that she wants to give testimony herself and that Bianca should be dismissed. Chris disagrees strongly. He then asks the judge for a recess and one is granted for five minutes. Erica looks over at Opal and smiles warmly.
The court session begins again. Bianca resumes her position in the witness chair. The judge asks Erica if there is a problem. She astounds the Court with the revelation that Chris Stamp is no longer her attorney. She has fired him. Chris slams his notepad on the attorney's table, thoroughly disgusted. When the judge asks Erica, who will be representing her, she confidently replies, "I will." She dismisses Bianca from the witness stand and calls herself to testify.
