"I thought you would never answer the door."
Will was used to Zoe's dramatics. He stepped back to let her pass. "Come in, before Arianna wakes up."
"Oh, Will, the next scoop I have for you is so much bigger than beddy-bye," Zoe assured him, taking a seat on the couch. She scanned his expression. "You really have no idea what's going on, do you? I thought your mother of all people…well... I thought she would be thrilled. She is back, right?"
"Yeah," Will nodded. "Mom's back. What's the story, Zoe?"
"There's been a robbery at the hospital—"
"Wait, what?" Will gasped.
"Drugs, apparently. They've been on the rise around here, but clearly, you've been living under a rock."
"No, I've just been kind of busy since Sonny went to visit his brother."
"Right, " Zoe drawled. "I forgot about daddy daycare. Anyway, I want you to cover the story."
"Why me?"
"Why not you! You're one of our best writers."
"So this has nothing to do with my Aunt Kayla being chief of staff?"
"Well, it doesn't hurt to have an inside source," Zoe confessed. "Look, when I brought you that tip about The Horton Center, you said you wouldn't do any other stories about your family."
"Yeah, and I meant it."
"But that excludes half the town," Zoe reasoned. "I admire your principles, really I do, but you need to be realistic. I'm offering you a freebie, here. An easy way to get back on your feet."
"Back on my feet?" Will repeated.
"Sweetheart, this will be the second story in a row you turned down. If the powers that be start thinking that you've lost your nerve…let me put it this way, I hope Sonny's back from Phoenix before rent's due. Think about it."
Will couldn't think of much else as he stared at the closed door, and he was relieved to hear Ari cry out "Daddy!"
He went to her. "How about we go for a walk, hmmm. Daddy could use the fresh air."
Abigail walked through Horton Square barely aware of where she was going. The sound of Will's voice snapped her rudely out of her daze. "Hey, Ari, look who it is. Can you say 'hi' to Abigail?"
"Hi," chirped Arianna.
"Hey, sweetie." Abigail pasted a smile onto her face. "Whoever got into the medications room used my ID," she whispered as she sat down, "and ever since that stupid Sonix article said JJ was dealing again…"
"Timing seems a little convenient," Will observed.
"That's what I said to Seth Burns," said Kayla, coming across the square. "I convinced him to put you on leave, Abigail. Paid leave, pending an investigation."
"But that's just a formality…I mean, thank you, Aunt Kayla, but I won't stop passing out my résumés. All Seth Burns cares about is the image of the hospital."
Kayla nodded. "That's why I've tendered my resignation as chief of staff. "
"What?" the cousins chorused. Abigail found her voice first. "No, Aunt Kayla. I can't let you do that."
"Drugs—painkillers, no less, have disappeared on my watch. I was going down anyway. Besides," Kayla swung Arianna into her lap and sat down in the vacant chair. "I was getting tired of the politics. All of the donor schmoozing and the board meetings, who needs it, you know? What I need to be doing is taking care of my mother and my son. It's not like I'm going to be out on the street, either. The free clinic always needs doctors, and I could go back to my roots. Cheer up, honey, really. Think of Anne Milbauer's face when she finds out that Daniel is her new boss. I'll see you guys later, okay?"
"Bye," Will said, accepting Ari back from his aunt. "What's wrong?" he asked Abigail. "You get to clear your name, this is good news."
"It doesn't matter. If it's in print, it's gospel."
"We could discredit the original source," Will suggested hoping Zoe would trade one gritty exposée for another. "Do you have any idea who that might be?"
"The one person who hates my mom and JJ most. Eve Donovan."
Thank you, sorry I woke you up…Damn it," Will hung up the phone. "I just talked to the Barons' old neighbor in England. Eve's adoptive parents have been dead for years."
"Great," Abigail scoffed, pouring a second glass of wine. "So, apart from a séance, how are we going to get any new dirt on Eve? Ever since she came to town, I just…I just feel like my dad can't rest in peace."
"I get it" Will assured her. "Hey, maybe your dad's the key. Maybe the lawsuit wasn't the first time she tried to get her hands on his money."
Abigail sipped her wine, thinking. "When I was growing up, Dad told me that he had everything a little boy could want when he was my age. Everything except love, and he certainly didn't get it from Eve either."
"How much money did your grandfather have?" Will wanted to know.
"I don't know," Abigail shrugged. "I remember that because it was one of the only things Dad said about the guy." She leaned over and typed "Deveraux" into the open Ewe Search browser on Will's laptop.
Will looked. "There are articles about you, your dad, and JJ, and some senator named Harper."
"That's must be it. My dad's middle name was Harcourt." Abigail clicked the link. "I don't believe this," she cried, and read on in a whisper. "'Senator Harper Deveraux's political career is eclipsed by the reign of terror he conducted in Salem under the serial killer alias The Riverfront Knifer. Deveraux targeted prostitutes and other women who he considered to be immoral, attacking ten. Five of the women—Eve Donovan, Gabrielle Pascal, Paula Carson, Kimberly Donovan, and the senator's own daughter-in-law, Kayla Brady Deveraux—survived. The senator met his demise at the hands of his adopted son, Jack, who claimed self-defense. Senator Deveraux's two million dollar fortune remained hotly contested for some time after his death.'" Abigail sighed. "It doesn't say if Eve was involved in taking the money."
Will smiled. "It explains why she was so mad about the settlement. She's been cheated out of Deveraux money before."
"You think it'll work?" Abigail asked.
"I think Zoe will take anything that she thinks will beat Victor and Nicole." Will replied. "It's like you said: If it 's in print, it's gospel."
