'Stowaway', Montauk

Ava looked at Emily incredulously. "But ... that's impossible." She shook her head vigorously. "He's dead!"

"Yes, I thought so too." Emily turned up the water tap and sprayed cold water on her face. "He just came in. Tall, dark-blond hair, full beard …" She shook her head. "I promise. I haven't seen a ghost," she said as she noticed Ava's skeptical gaze. "It's really him! I can remember his eyes, even if he looks quite different now."

"How old were you when he got arrested?"

"Nine." Emily threw back her long hair. "It was shortly after my ninth birthday. I remember exactly."

"You're saying you have recognized someone you haven't seen for more than 20 years?" Ava asked skeptically.

"I know it sounds crazy. But I would still recognize him after fifty years. He has changed, but the eyes are the same."

"Where is he now?" Ava asked with a frown.

"I have no idea. He came in, saw me, and went on to the counter." Her head jerked up. "Can you check if he's still there?"

Ava nodded hesitantly. "I'm doing the best I can."

"He looks a bit like a tramp," Emily added.

"Then I can hardly miss him, where all the guests here are dressed elegantly and appropriately." She squeezed Emily's hand slightly. "I'll be right back!" When she entered the bar again, he immediately caught her eye. He stood at the counter, holding a beer in his hand. Emily described him well, she thought. He really looked a bit like a tramp. Slowly she approached him. "Sir? Excuse me, but this is a private party." As he turned to her, she held her breath for a moment. Emily was right. These eyes, once you had seen them, you wouldn't be able to forget them so quickly.

"Oh, I didn't know that. I'm sorry." He put his beer glass back on the counter and rose.

"No, wait!" Ava stood in his way before he could go to the door. "Are you looking for someone?" She noticed him looking at her for a moment, as he would think about an answer.

"Amanda Clarke," he said slowly. "I heard she lives here."

Ava's heart began to pound nervously. It is him! Emily was right. She pondered what she could tell him. But even before she could start, someone was faster.

"Are there any problems?"

She turned quickly and didn't know if she should be relieved or panicked when she recognized Jack. "No, everything's alright," she said with a low voice. She hoped that the man had gotten the hint and now would simply leave the bar. But her hope was ruined when he reached for Jack's hand.

"David Clarke," he introduced himself. "I'm looking for my daughter Amanda. I was told that she lives here."

Ava noticed how Jack froze. She could only guess how he felt now. He knew that the woman he'd married was not the real Amanda Clarke, and his real daughter was somewhere among the guests.

"Jack Porter," he said, squeezing the man's hand. "Amanda was my wife."

"Was?" The man frowned.

"I'm sorry." Jack lowered his head. "She died last year at a ... boat accident."

Ava looked at him in astonishment. She knew from Nolan that her death had been anything but an 'accident'. The boat with her and Jack had been deliberately blown up.

"She was still so young ..." The man reached for his glass and emptied it in one gulp. "I was hoping ... after all this time ..." His voice broke and he shook his head slightly. "I have been away for a very long time. I traveled a lot, mostly abroad," he explained. "For a while I had problems with the law, which is why I had to serve a prison sentence. But I thought when I came back to my little girl …" He broke off again and wiped a tear from his cheek. "Well, that's probably called fate."

Jack nodded uneasily. "As I said, I'm sorry. I would have liked to give you better news."

The man turned to the door. "Oh, maybe you can tell me who owns the wooden house in the Hamptons now, the house right on the beach?"

Ava saw Jack's eyes widen. And she knew he thought the same.

"No," he said hastily. "I can't help you. I'm not there very often."

When the man had gone, Jack leaned on the counter and took a few deep breaths. "Where's Emily?" he asked Ava.

"She's in the restroom." She slightly touched his arm. "She knows it," she said gently. "She saw him as he entered the bar."

"That's not good." Jack closed his eyes and shook his head. "That is not good at all. Sooner or later he will recognize her. And then her cover will blow."

"Why is he back?" Ava looked at him questioningly. "Do you believe what he said?"

Jack shook his head slowly. "I haven't the slightest idea. But the fact that he's back again can be quite a problem for some people."

"You mean the Graysons?"

He nodded. "And Charlotte. Actually, she's not a Grayson. She is David Clarke's biological daughter."

"And since he knows that, he might try to get in touch with her," she concluded. She saw Jack's mouth twitching. "What?" She asked confused.

"You'd have been a good detective," he said, smiling.

"That's because I have good insight into human nature and experience with criminals," she clarified, wishing she hadn't been so openhearted as she saw Jack's astonished gaze. "My past is my privacy. Just for the record."

He nodded slowly. "I didn't ask."

"But you have that peculiar look." She eyed him skeptically. "Maybe I'll tell you one day. But now there are more important things to do." She looked around. "Where's Daniel?"

Jack pointed to the buffet, where he was standing, obviously talking with his ex-girlfriend.

"Oh no ..." Sighing, she combed her hair with her fingers. "Can the day get any worse?" She saw Jack's wrinkled forehead and reached for his hand. "Come on, we have to get Emily out of the restroom and tell her what we know!" This time, she didn't flinch when he interlaced his fingers with hers and walked over to the restroom to free Emily.