„Hey T, how are you holding on?"

„I'm alright Ricardo." Antonio answered watching his brother grabbing a cup of coffee in the hospitals hall.

„You seem worried...is there anything on your mind?"

„To tell you the truth...yes, it's you.." Antonio tried to catch his brothers gaze but the latter avoided it, only sketching a tortured sigh.

"Me? Come on, I'm alright no need to worry." Ricardo let a laugh out to mask his feelings.

"Yeah...you keep saying that but I'm your brother and I know somethings eating you up. So what is it?" Antonio sat down facing Ricardo.

"I guess I could never hide anything from you, could I?" Ricardo played with the coffee cup in his hands as Antonio only nodded.

"Well...what can I say? So many things happened in such a short time. Two people got seriously wounded, Elaine is still in a coma... but I don't even have a case because the offender is none other than the daughter of the victim..."

"And Elaine's daughter in law..." Antonio completed.

"Correct. The gun that was fired is nowhere to be found. The guy that everybody suspects to be guilty of all this is probably over the border of the state by now..."

"The riot..."

"The riot that has Casey and Sarah in the middle..."

"Do you believe they are guilty?"

"Truth?" Ricardo raised his glance to look into Antonio's eyes. "No. I don't think they are guilty."

"What about Alex and AJ?" Antonio jugged his mind as Ricardo shook his head.

"Things don't add up T, Alex she just played along with everything but I don't think she knew what was really going on."

"But she was against the completion of the Resort..."

"She was against the completion of the Resort because she was against Olivia and Gregory getting back together. The Resort is not the problem. It never was, don't you see? AJ is the only one who didn't want the Resort to be successful and that's because he hates Gregory as much. He used the feelings that Alex apparently has for Gregory and convinced her to support him."

"So Casey acted out, to save our beach and ...and Alex was drawn into this because she thought she could win Gregory over?"

"I strongly believe that that's exactly the way it is. I mean, we know these people for such a long time...they're not bad people." Ricardo sipped again.

"But what about the riot?"

"That's what I don't understand. There are two possibilities: one, the riot was planned before Casey even knew about it. Wich would mean that AJ has had that planned all along..."

"But he insists he didn't."

"Yes. And two: the riot ...just happened. I mean wouldn't it be possible that the men in that group just, started being aggressive for no reason? Can it be that there was no one behind it, that it all just developed?"

"That would be too much of a coincidence... what about this Leo guy? Do you have a theory on him?" Antonio asked while Ricardo sighed.

"I'm telling you, things don't add up. Even if let's say, he was guilty of everything. First question: how did he pull it off? And second: why? Who is this guy, what does he want?"

"He was AJ's contact person, maybe he wanted revenge."

"That's too trivial. What would be his motive? He was an informer. People like him get paid in exchange for information. What, he didn't get paid and decided to take everybody down? No. This is much more personal..."

"So is this a dead end?"

"Sure looks like one. But there is always a missing puzzle piece that usually puts everything together... I will just have to find it." Ricardo said standing up and heading for the vending machine.

"Ricardo?" Antonio followed him. "What about Paula?" He asked as Ricardo stood still.


"Oh brother!" Better muttered making her way into the house.

"Aaah, Bette my dear! You are back!" Tobias stood up from the sofa to greet her, holding Spike up in his arms.

"Uncle Tobias! What a surprise. What are you doing here?"

"W-Well, i didn't know when to expect you home and - and this little fellow needed someone to keep him company." Tobias said joyful patting Spikes head.

"Well. It's good to be back. Can you believe this man?" She headed for the bar to pour herself some coffee.

"What man?"

"He actually insinuated I am the one who took the gun! Tha!" She went on.

"The gun?"

"Like I would ever do that? What even for? He could have taken it himself, he was standing right there next to it!" Bette shook her head.

"Bette, my dear...what ever are you talking about?!" Tobias wasn't following.

"Oh..you. Right, you don't know. Well, of course you don't I just ... You can't know. Nobody is back yet and..." she started stuttering.

"Bette. Please. What is going on? What man? What gun? What happened?" Tobias was worrying.


"Mom? Is - is it true? I did this to you?" Caitlin asked in shock while Olivia only shook her head. "Mom? Mom please, tell me I didn't hear right..." Caitlin begged.

"Oh sweetheart -" Olivia started but couldn't bring her thought to an end due to Paula who was fuming - still in front of her mothers hospital room door.

"Yes you've heard damned right! What do you think you can achieve by acting like you don't know what you did?"

"Paula I'm warning you!" Gregory barked.

"It's Agent Stevens to you Mr. Richards." Paula retorted hatefully.

The spirits heated up as Gregory and Paula started fighting with Cole and Aj trying to mingle in the dispute while Caitlin and Olivia locked eye contact only shaking their heads.

"Mom? Mom are you alright?" Sean jumped to support his mother who started looking pale again.

"No! No I'm not alright! Just stop it! All of you just stop it!" She shouted out loud, the echo of her cry being the only sound left. "I can't take any more of this!" After pausing a little, she tried again. "Caitlin, sweetheart, please, come home with us. Cait-" she begged but Caitlin only shook her head crying and ran outside the waiting room.

"Go after her, what the hell are you waiting for?" Gregory ranted at Cole, still with Trey in his arms. The latter bit his lips, knowing Gregory was right. But seeing that Paula was now personally involved in the shooting, made everything even more complicated than he thought. He looked at Aj, who gave him a look of approval, turned around and left to see if he could calm Caitlin down.

"Mom, come on, I'll take you home. There's nothing you can do here." Sean offered.

"No!"

"Mom!"

"I said no!"

"Liv - Sean is right, we should get you home." Gregory tried.

"No Gregory! I am not leaving this place. Not without Elaine! I have done enough!" Olivia stated as everybody only looked confused.


"So many voices! Ay...my head!"

"Mama, mama are you alright?" Maria worried as Carmen rested her head over her cards.

"Mi hija, listen closely!" Carmen grabbed Maria's hands into hers. "The voices are are everywhere. Tormented voices. Telling me." She stopped to grab some air. "Ricardo y Antonio. The past. The past is turning into present. Del Douglas. Your marriage to Ben." Carmen was hyperventilating as the words coming out of her mouth we're making no sense to Maria.

"Mama, I'm calling a doctor. Please keep still." Maria's voice trembled.

"No! You should know better! This is no illness. The veiled side of this world is telling me, the cards and spirits are telling me to be aware!" Carmen was appalled.

"Mama..."

"Maria, just the way I knew that you were still alive all those years, that's how I know now! I know something bad is about to happen!"

"Okay, just relax, calm down. Breathe in. And out." Maria tried to be supportive. "Now relax and tell me what it is that you hear."

"The past becoming present. Secrets catching up on all of us." Carmen began.

"You said something about Ricardo and Antonio?"

"Yes. Ricardo and Antonio's past. It's here."

"Paula. She can only mean Paula and Gabi." Maria thought. What about my marriage to Ben?"

"Your renewed bond isn't sacred. You need to marry in front of God again." Carmen nearly cried. "Maria, the devil is at the gates of hell waiting to come out into this world."

"The devil? Mama what are you talking about?"

"A black spirit. Pure darkness. It's weakening now. But it won't let go. It will try to destroy ... all of you."

"Who?!"

"I only see darkness. Mi hija, you need to be careful!" Carmen advised as Maria only looked confused.

"You...you said something about Del Douglas... what about Del Douglas mama?"

Carmen gulped looking at her cards and showing Maria the constellation she's put up. "Del Douglas is the core of this dark presence. The cards tell me there is a constellation in his family. Dark... and full of lies and shame. He did something that brings all this sorrow upon you."

"Yes. We know, he stole Cole Deschanel at birth. But that's cleared now mama, everybody knows."

"No, not Cole." Carmen paused shutting her eyes.

"But what do you mean then?" Maria couldn't understand.

"I don't know more than this. Maria, hija, please believe me!"

"It's alright mama, it's alright. Look, I'll stay here today. We can spend some time together with Benji when he's back from school, okay?" Maria tried her best to support her mother.

Carmen only nodded, starting to get back to normal. She folded her cards together, mixed them again as Maria left the room, to only uncover the same card depicting what she interpreted to be the soul of Del Douglas.

"The truth must come out before anything bad happens again." Carmen spoke to herself looking at the Virgin Mary on her cupboard.


Ricardo sighed turning back to Antonio.

"What about Paula?"

"I - I don't know. I guess, I mean I presume that her presence here is making things even harder?" Antonio asked carefully.

"The investigations? I think so. She'll try to handle this on her own now that she thinks I was trying to keep her in the dark about Elaine."

"That and - "

"That's it, T! Alright?" Ricardo snapped at his brother. "I have bigger problems than Paula right now. The DA will want to know what the hell happened here. I'll have to find a way to cooperate with the Palm Springs police department so that I can ensure the progress of this investigation. I need to make some calls and prepare our departure. I'll see you around!" Ricardo left upset.

"Just don't shut me out!" Antonio tried but Ricardo was already out of sight.

Antonio grabbed his jacket and sighed heavily. He knew that neither Ricardo, not himself could run away from their past forever.

As he looked to walk out of the hospital, his phone rang. Maria. „I should get this. Maria?"

„Antonio, where are you?"

„I'm still at the hospital but I'm on my way to the hotel to grab my things. Ricardo and I should be back home by tomorrow. Is everything alright?" Antonio sensed that the call from his sister wasn't just pleasantry.

„Yes. No! It's Mama. She just had a vision…"

„Ah…" Antonio grabbed his neck in distress. „Again?"

„She was very upset…she…said some things…she is frightening me Antonio." Maria admitted.

„What exactly did she say?"

„Something about you and Ricardo, about me and my bond with Ben…and something about Del Douglas."

„I - I don't know what to say Maria, other than that I will try and talk to her tomorrow. Maybe she just needs to know more about what happened here…she needs to know that we're alright and doing fine."

„I don't know either. I don't know what exactly it is that I expect of you….maybe … I guess I wanted to hear your voice, that you're alright. Are you alright?" Maria was clearly worked up.

„Yes. Don't worry about us Maria. Just keep Mama some company until tomorrow. We have a lot to discuss regarding the riot and the shooting. We all have to make our statements and help Ricardo get to the bottom of this."

„Okay. I'll see you tomorrow. Take care." Maria hung up and went back to the living room to watch her mother arranging the cards again and again. What was it about Del Douglas, other than Cole's kidnapping as a baby, that her mother saw in the cards? What could a dead man possibly have to hide any more than everything they learned after his death? And who could know about it?


„If you are here, it only means that your plan didn't work out!"

Leo took a seat in the crowded cafe as he spotted a waitress coming to their table.

"And what the hell were you thinking to meet me here?!" She violently gesticulated in his direction.

"Two coffees please." He kept his composure until the waitress left. "Just shut the hell up!" He ranted, trying to keep his voice down. A sudden silence took over the room as Leo was looking uncomfortable. "Everything went wrong..." he continued. "Every single bit went wrong. Caitlin... the gun...I nearly killed two people!" His eyes were glossy as he still let the bitter taste of his words rest on his tongue. "And not one of them was who we wanted it to be!" He suddenly stopped as the waitress handed them the coffees.

"I've seen it on the news. Elaine Stevens."

"Did you know her?" Leo looked expectantly.

"No. But I've heard about her. Coles mother." She replied short.

"I nearly killed two women. Innocent. For what?"

"Nearly. Olivia, that bitch - of course she's doing fine. As for Elaine, she'll recover!" She paused "at all cost, remember? Getting Aj out of the way, for you and Gregory - for me. At all cost!"

"Not at this cost... I didn't want it this way!"

"Leo, I've planned my revenge for nearly one year now! I helped you in every possible way! At all cost! Remember?" She whispered aggravated.

"I've planned my comeback ever since I found out who my father really was! What family I really belong to! But ... this...

"Look we can't talk about this here!" She whispered "meet me at the Golden Gate Park at dusk. I'll be -"

"No! I need to leave the state. The police is probably looking all over for me." He said short.

"They don't know who to even look for. Don't back out now, we're so, so close...Leo..." she begged.

"Stop calling me that! That's not my name and you know it!"

"Then what is your real name?" She asked unsure.

"At dusk. Golden gate park." He stood up throwing a bill on the table out of his pocket as he walked away.