Bo opened the door to admit his tall, lean older brother and was not surprised when a young man carrying several pieces of electronic equipment stepped inside behind him.

"Good to see you, Bro," Bo said in greeting as he closed and locked the door behind him.

"We got here as soon as we could," Roman said, taking charge of the situation with the calm confidence of a seasoned officer and team leader. "Has he called back yet?"

"Not yet," Shane replied.

"Good. I suspect he wants to let Steve stew about it for a while before he calls us back," Roman said. "The probability that he'll be using a cell phone makes calls like this more difficult to trace to an exact address, but we did bring along a recording device so we can examine the call later and see if it will give us any clues."

"How will that help?" Kim asked, curiously as she poured coffee into the mugs on the tray that Kayla had placed on the coffee table. The men immediately started reaching for them, except for the young technician, who had knelt in front of the coffee table and was already setting up his equipment.

"We've solved cases before by identifying certain background sounds, such as train crossings, airplane traffic, even a school recess bell one time," Roman explained. "That time, the guy we were after lived across the street from an elementary school."

"It's often a very effective method of recovering kidnap victims," the tech said. "One of the many techniques and resources we utilize to solve crimes."

"What if he makes the call from some other location?" Kayla asked.

"He won't," Roman said, confidently. "He knows we won't negotiate until we speak with Adrienne, and they won't risk moving her from their controlled environment. Wherever they're holding her, that's where they'll be making the call. Shane, since he'll be calling you, we'll need your phone."

Shane turned his phone over to the technician, who began attaching the recording device to it. "Keep him on the phone as long as possible," the tech suggested. "The longer he's on the line, the more information we'll able to pick up in the background. We're also going to try to triangulate the call to find out which cell tower is being used."

"And putting a speaker on the phone, so we can all hear what he has to say," Roman added.

"Will he be able to detect any of the things you're attaching to the phone?" Steve asked, concerned about how Vaughn would react to them.

"No, they're completely undetectable," Roman assured him.

"He's smart, though," Shane pointed out. "He knows that with the time he's provided, we'll be using technology to pinpoint his position." In response to Steve's worried expression, he added, "Don't worry, Steve. I assure you, he's expecting it."

Shane's cell phone rang, a little earlier than promised, and the technician was so startled by the unexpected sound that he nearly dropped it. After fumbling it, juggling it, and finally catching it on the fly, he passed it to Shane with an embarrassed expression.

"We're ready. Keep him talking as long as possible, but be careful what you say when you speak to the victim. He may be listening in as well."

Shane flipped open the phone and lifted it to his ear. "Vaughn?"

"Are you with Johnson?" Vaughn asked in a stern, commanding voice that filled the room and generated reactions of distaste from the people who remembered him. Roman could not suppress his resentment of the man who had kidnapped his wife, and he clenched his fist, unaware of the gesture.

"I am," Shane replied.

"Excellent. Put him on."

"Not so fast. We have a few things to talk about first."

"Let's not get into stalling tactics, Shane," Vaughn warned. "I know Roman is making efforts to trace this call through the cell towers and whatever other means that might be available to him. Obviously, I intend to move this call along as rapidly as possible so let's get down to business, shall we?"

"You're making quite a career of kidnapping, aren't you?" Shane taunted.

There was a smile in Vaughn's reply, "Obviously you refer to Marlena Brady. Roman just needed a bit of encouragement in seeking out the bonds he had hidden in Stockholm. I'm sure you will recall that she was safe and sound, as Mrs. Kiriakis is, although her accommodations are not quite so luxurious. She will be released once Steve Johnson has been delivered into my hands."

"Before we allow Steve to turn himself over to you, we need proof that you have her and assurances that she is alive and well. We will agree to no deals until we are guaranteed that she has not been harmed."

"She's my ace in the hole, Shane," Vaughn said pleasant, as if they were merely conversing. "The winning hand is played very carefully. However, I am a reasonable man. In your place, I would want assurances as well, and I am prepared to offer them."

As he spoke, Vaughn had made his way to the old sofa where Adrienne sat, her head tilted back, watching as he conversed with Shane Donovan. As she listened, her mind was active with urgent thoughts. She remembered the pleasant Englishman who had been married to Kayla's sister. Although she had not known him well, she knew he would not be fooled by someone claiming to be Steve. He knew what Steve looked like and sounded like. She could arrive at only two conclusions: either Steve really was alive as her kidnapper claimed, or Shane Donovan and his people were trying to trick those criminals into believing the man in question was Steve.

Momentarily, Vaughn would hand her the phone, and she would know. If this was Steve, she would know his voice when she heard it. And if it really was him, she knew she must provide a clue that would lead them to her, thereby taking control from her kidnappers. She could not allow him to exchange himself for her, an act she knew he might be tempted to do.

During her breakfast, she had finally figured out the purpose for the warehouse, the big reveal coming in the form of a coupon for a free cherry turnover found in the bottom of the sack. With a little luck, Steve might remember it too, provided she could slip a subtle hint into her conversation with him. She could only hope that Vaughn was not aware of the warehouse's history.

Unaware of the scheme that his captive had put together, Vaughn gave her a sly smile as he said to Shane, "Would you care to speak to her?"

"Absolutely. Put her on."

"All right," Vaughn said. "Remember I'm standing right here, and I won't hesitate to terminate the call if either of you say anything out of line. It won't go well for her if I have to do that."

Shane answered affirmatively, and Vaughn held the phone out to her.

"You heard what I just said," he warned.

She nodded and reached for the phone, her fingers closing around it, but he did not release it to her just yet, a silent reminder that he would be listening. "Can I ask Steve a question? A question he'll remember? I have to know for sure that it's him."

His eyes seemed amused. "You don't believe me?"

"I saw his dead body," she replied. "And I know some people have a talent for sounding like other people."

His lips twitched, as if suppressing a smile. "I never had the pleasure of seeing his dead body, although I must say we did an outstanding job making him appear so, didn't we?" he asked in a taunting voice, then before she could respond, he continued, "Very well. Ask your question."

He released the phone, apparently confident that she had no clue where she was being held, and she lifted it to her ear. "Hello?" she asked, her voice hesitant and nervous, wondering what she would hear on the other end.

Steve was still seated beside Kayla, his body pressed close to hers, and at his sister's first tentative word, she felt him flinch. "It's her," he confirmed in response to Shane's questioning glance. Kayla nodded in agreement.

"Adrienne Kiriakis?" Shane said into the phone.

"Yes."

"This is Shane Donovan."

"Yes, I remember you."

"Are you all right? Are you being treated well?"

"Um, y-yes," she replied hesitantly, her voice strangely preoccupied. "They haven't hurt me."

Shane knew that she was too intimidated to say otherwise, even if she was not being treated well. "Adrienne," he said in a calm voice, hoping it would help to calm her as well. "I'm here with your brother, Steve. He very much wants to talk to you."

Steve was at Shane's side in an instant, reaching for the phone, which Shane relinquished to him.

He took the small, uncomfortable device in his hand and lifted it to his ear. "Adrienne? Baby, are you alright?"

She fought the tears that threatened to flow, positive that it really was Steve, but she could not let on that she knew for sure. She had a role to play, and she had to be careful. "You sound like my brother!" she said, keeping her voice steady, trying to appear unconvinced.

"It is me, baby," he assured her.

"I have to be sure," she told him. "I know there are people who are good at mimicking other people's voices, and I have to know for sure that you're really Steve. Do you remember after I first came to Salem?"

Perplexed by her apparent reluctance to accept that he was truly who he said he was, he offered more detail into his identity. "I remember," he replied. "You looked like Momma did when she was younger, and you really had me spooked. You wore a bracelet that matched Momma's necklace, the one I gave to Kayla. I thought I was being stalked by a ghost or something."

She heard the bewildered quality to his voice, and knew that he was confused. Praying silently that he would not give away her clue, she forged on. "Yes, but after we started getting close, remember when you and I made that cherry pie for Momma? We were looking at the can of cherries, and we noticed that it had been canned right here in Salem! Remember that? You and I were the only ones there; only my brother would know about it. It was a surprise for Momma. Do you remember?" she asked again, silently willing him to understand, and to answer appropriately. Deliberately, she avoided looking at Vaughn, fearful that he would see it in her face.

Mystified by the question, Steve looked at Shane and shrugged, shaking his head to indicate that the event never happened. Roman and Bo exchanged puzzled glances. Kimberly, however, seemed to understand it, and gestured quickly for Steve to answer in a positive manner.

Adrienne listened to the silence on the other end of the phone and knew that Steve was struggling to understand what she was doing. Please say you remember, she begged silently, hoping that Vaughn did not know the building's glorious past. He had not moved, had not snatched the phone from her hand, and it offered hope that he was unaware that it had once been a fruit packing plant.

"I remember, baby," Steve said into the phone, then added, "That was a long time ago."

She wondered if he was starting to catch on. "Do you remember what the special occasion was?"

He hesitated, glancing at Kim again for suggestions. "Mother's Day", she whispered.

"It was for Mother's Day," Steve said. "Cherry pie is her favorite, and it was a special present for Momma Jo from her two kids."

"Yes!" she exclaimed, the tears flowing again. He understood! "It was for Mother's Day! Oh, Steve," she said, the emotion in her voice indication that she was trying unsuccessfully not to weep. "I never thought I'd hear your voice again!"

"I know, baby. Just know that I didn't leave any of you on purpose. Those bastards took me against my will, and –"

The phone was snatched from her hand, and she reached for it, wanting to take it back, to hear her brother's voice again, this time without having to play the charade. "No! Please, I wasn't finished!"

Vaughn was not moved by her pleas. "You are, for now. With any luck, if he follows directions, you'll get to speak to him again. All right, Johnson," Vaughn's voice came back on the line, and Steve realized that he had taken the phone away from her.

"Put her back on!" he demanded, outraged that they had been interrupted.

"You've spoken to your sister; you know she's alive and well, and she's verified that it really is you after revealing that charming little Mother's Day gift. Now it's time to decide what we're going to do. You know what we want. You for your sister."

He heard Adrienne shouting in the background: "No! Don't do it, Steve!" Her voice was suddenly muffled, and he knew that someone had placed a hand over her mouth to prevent her from speaking further.

Steve was shaking with anger and frustration and his inability to protect her. "If you hurt her, I swear –"

"You're in no position to make threats, Steve. You know what we want. I'm prudent enough to know that with your escape, things have changed, but I am still in control. We can end this right now, and you can have a happy little reunion with your sister. Tell me what I want to know, and once I have the goods and am safely out of Salem, Mrs. Kiriakis will be released unharmed."

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Steve raged. "I don't know what it is you want from me!"

"Come now, Steve. You don't expect us to believe that, do you?"

"It's true!" he insisted. "I can't tell you what I don't know!"

"You're lying! Give it up, Steve. We'll pick up the items, and then I'll call you to tell you where you can find your sister."

Roman made a sudden gesture to get Steve's attention. "Tell him you'll reveal everything they want to know, but not until you get to see Adrienne, face to face," he said quietly.

Steve started to protest that he didn't know what they wanted, but then he caught on to Roman's intention; it was a bluff to force a meeting. A meeting that might culminate into a rescue.

"Time is wasting, Steve," Vaughn said. "I know your friends are probably trying to triangulate this call, and obviously I can't let them do that, so we need to make a decision quickly. How much do you value your sister?"

Steve sighed heavily, as if giving in. "All right, damn it. I'll tell you what you want to know, but not until I see my sister face to face."

"I cannot agree to that," Vaughn said. "You will tell us now, and you'll make certain there are no cops at that location. Then, and only then, will we release her to a specified location which will be revealed after we have the goods and once we are safely away from Salem."

"I can't describe it to you," Steve said. "There is an intricate way of getting into the secret tunnels, and it's been a long time since I've done it. Everything has to be done in a specific order. I'll have to do it myself."

"Tunnels. . . " Vaughn whispered, eagerly taking the bait like a dehydrated man reaches for a bottle of cold water. He fell silent then for a long time, mulling this over, apparently forgetting his own need to end the call quickly.

Roman nodded his approval and gave the thumbs up sign that he was doing well.

Steve waited nervously, very aware that his reliance on the Salem Police could prove detrimental to his sister. Breaking the intense silence, he said, "I'm willing to show you the access to the tunnels, Vaughn, but the only way I can do it is to show you in person. Meet me somewhere, someplace out in the open, and we'll talk."

After the initial elation, Vaughn was clearly becoming suspicious. "We've been all through that house, and we never found any evidence of tunnels."

"The entrance is well concealed and impossible to find. If you don't know where it is, you'll never find it. And as I said, the access mechanism must be opened in a particular order."

"All right, here's what we're going to do," Vaughn said. "I'm going to arrange a series of locations, each one with a note telling you where to go next. At each of these locations, I'll have someone watching to make sure you're alone. I'll call you back at noon with the first location."

Before he could respond, a harsh "click" in his ear told him that Vaughn had hung up. Clearly agitated and frustrated, Steve lowered the diminutive phone from his ear and turned to look at Roman with an accusing stare, clearly dissatisfied with the result of the call. For a long, tense moment, no one said anything, each of them understanding that the situation had just taken a drastic turn for the worse.

"I don't like this," Bo said, breaking the silence. "We lose control if we let him play this game of note-tag."

"I don't like it, either," Kayla agreed. "There are too many things that can go wrong."

"I don't see that we have much choice," Roman said. "Obviously the call did not go according to plan, but we may be able to salvage it. He's stalling. Steve has given him something to think about, and while he's thinking, we'll be planning."

"What do you want to do?" Bo asked.

"We can set Steve up with a mike and a tracking device. That way we'll know where he is at all times, and we'll be close by without being seen by them." He glanced at Steve. "Are you agreeable?"

"I'll do whatever it takes to get her back," Steve declared.

"I'll request the tracking equipment."

Kim had been trying to get their attention, and in the brief lull that followed, she announced, "I don't think you're going to need to do that."

Roman gave her an impatient glance. "What are you talking about?"

"Some cop you are!" she teased. "Don't you remember what Adrienne said about the pie filling?"

"What was that about, anyway?" Kayla asked, turning to Steve. "I don't remember you mentioning anything about that."

Steve shook his head, bewildered. "That's because it never happened. I have no idea what she was talking about."

"You covered your confusion well," Kim said. "Especially when you mentioned that it had been a long time ago. If they were listening to her conversation with you, I doubt they would have been able to tell that you didn't understand."

"You seem to be the only one in the room with any idea of what she was referring to," Kayla said. "What did a cherry pie or even Mother's Day have to do with making sure she was talking to Steve? Especially when she must have known he would not understand what she was talking about."

"It had nothing to do with the pie or Mother's Day," Kim told her. "It was all about the packaging of the cherries. Don't you remember how she said the cherry filling was packaged at a plant in Salem?"

Roman's body flinched visibly as her meaning suddenly became clear to him. "The old fruit plant! You're right!"

"What are you talking about?" Shane asked, totally bewildered.

"She was giving us a clue about where she is!" Kim replied, her eyes shining with excitement and praise of Adrienne's cleverness. Looking at Kayla and Bo, she asked, "Don't either of you remember it? We were taken on field trips to that plant when we were in grade school! They even gave everyone little cherry pies to take with us. They were no bigger than a golf ball, but they were delicious. Everyone loved those field trips."

"I do remember that!" Kayla exclaimed. "Wow, that was a long time ago. I haven't thought about that in a long time. By the time the school bus got back to the school, all the kids had cherries all over their hands and faces. That plant was an important part of Salem's economy back then."

"Up until about ten years ago, all the fruit that was grown in the area was packaged for distribution at a local packaging center that was out near the interstate," Bo explained. "It was a huge operation, and like Kayla said, it was great for the Salem economy. A lot of apples, cherries, plums, peaches, and pears were grown around these parts and taken to the plant to be turned into various pie fillings and other products, like apple sauce and jam, which were then shipped out all over the Midwest. The name of the company that sold the cherry pie filling was Mother's Finest. The plant was abandoned after the center was relocated to another city. There were a lot of Salem residents who suddenly found themselves unemployed."

"Your sister must have remembered," Kim said to Steve. "She knew if she gave us an obscure clue without tipping off her captors, one of us might remember it."

"Well, she's always been pretty smart," Kayla said with a smile.

.

"That coincides with the cell phone tower he used," the technician confirmed, observing a map on his computer screen.

"That's it, then," Bo said. Good job, Sis!"