"Hello?" Will answered his phone. He was busy preparing Ari something for breakfast.
"Hey," Chad replied. "I was just checking in."
"One sec," Will said to Chad.
"Here, baby," Will told Ari. He put a bowl of oatmeal and berries in front of her. They didn't have room for a table anymore. Instead, they had to eat at the kitchen counter. Will really hoped Ari wouldn't topple off the high stool.
"Well," Will wasn't sure what to tell Chad. He didn't think it would be wise to tell Chad his suspicions about Clyde yet. 'Not until I have more proof.'
"I'm looking into piecing together your night with Serena," Will revealed. "I've got access to some security footage."
"Good," Chad sighed in relief. "I know I got in a fight with someone but I can't remember who."
"Do you remember anything at all? Smells, sights?" Will suggested.
"Nothing," Chad groaned.
"If you think of anything let me know," Will asked Chad. "I know I'm close to figuring this out."
"Will do," Chad agreed. "I better go. I've got a meeting I'm not looking forward to."
"With who?" Will wondered curiously.
"Zoe," Chad stated. "I guess I might as well tell you. She's pissed you left Sonix. She wants to write an expose on you and your new relationship. I'm trying to hold her off."
Will frowned. "She didn't seem to care when I told her I was quitting."
"That was before she found out you were officially with Paul," Chad pointed out. "Which, by the way, thanks for telling me," he said sarcastically.
"You didn't care I was going on a date with him. I figured you were a little preoccupied," Will explained. "But thanks for trying to get Zoe to back off."
"I figure you wouldn't feel too good about clearing my name if I let my magazine trash you," Chad replied. "Consider it a personal favor for helping me out."
"We haven't been that close since you moved back to town," Will nodded. "But you were my best friend for a long time. I'd like for us to be that close again."
"Yeah, I'd like that too," Chad smiled. "Just make sure I don't get thrown in jail."
"I'm working on it," Will laughed.
"Put Ari on the phone," Chad requested. "I wanna say hi."
Paul came out of the bedroom and into the living room/kitchen. He gave Will a questioning glance.
"Who's she talking to?" Paul wondered. He assumed it was Sonny making her giggle so loudly.
"Chad," Will smiled. "They're bff's now."
Will placed a bowl of oatmeal in front of Paul.
"Huh," Paul said. "She sounds happy at least. Thanks for this," he indicated the food.
"I know it's not much," Will shrugged. "But I'm still learning."
"I appreciate it," Paul told Will.
Ari started waving her hand even though Chad couldn't see her. "Bye, bye!"
Will took the phone back. He spoke to Chad for another minute before hanging up.
"Guess who's trying to do a tell-all about me?" Will looked at Paul.
Paul put his spoon down. "Really? Doesn't Zoe have better things to do?" Paul rolled his eyes.
"I guess not," Will said. "Chad said he'd take care of it though."
"You and Chad seem pretty close now," Paul commented. "I didn't know you were that friendly."
"I've known him since high school," Will said. He sat down between Ari and Paul and began to eat. "We were best friends for years. We drifted apart but I want us to get back to how we were."
"Good," Paul decided. "I'm glad you're getting your friend back."
"Thanks," Will grinned.
"All gone," Ari declared. She showed Will her empty bowl. "Watch show now?"
"Sure," Will told her. He helped Ari off the stool and turned the TV to Daniel Tiger.
"Did you take your medicine?" Paul questioned when Will came back.
"No," Will got up again and went to grab his pills. "Thanks for reminding me."
"I know how much they've been helping you," Paul offered.
Will beamed at Paul and swallowed his pill. He grabbed Ari's chewable daily vitamins. "Ari, vitamin," Will called. She turned to face him and opened her mouth.
All three cheered when Ari successfully caught the vitamin in her mouth.
After their daily run, which Paul was again invited to, Will walked Ari to daycare. He had her bundled up in a big, warm coat. Winter was officially in full swing.
'I hope it snows soon,' Will thought. He wanted to play with Ari in the snow.
'But first,' Will reminded himself. 'There are some things Ari and I need to talk about.'
"Baby," Will got Ari's attention. "Can we talk about Daddy Sonny?"
"No," Ari replied with a frown. "Mad at him."
"Why are you mad at him?" Will wondered, concerned.
"Don't see him," Ari explained. "Go far away and not come back."
"But you get to talk to him on the phone when you see Grandma Adrienne," Will said. "And you see him on the computer, right?"
"Not 'nough," Ari insisted. "Sonny not read story. Sonny not play. Sonny go away and not come back."
"I told you though," Will insisted. "Daddy is working. It's like when you and I went away for a while. Remember that? We stayed with Grammie, Johnny, Allie, and Sydney."
Ari nodded.
"We were away from daddy and we came back," Will told her.
"Not same," Ari shook her head. "Sonny not bring Ari. Sonny not miss Ari."
"I'm sure daddy misses you a lot," Will argued. "He's working. But I know he loves you. He's always going to love you."
"Sonny," Ari emphasized. "Mean."
Will sighed. 'I need to make sure she talks to him every day, don't I?'
"What about Paul?" Will asked. "Are you OK with Paul and Daddy?"
"Yes," Ari smiled and began to skip. "Paul play!"
"Is it OK that Paul sleeps over?" Will needed to be sure.
"Uh huh," Ari nodded. "Paul sleep in bed. He kiss you. He make you smile."
"If you ever feel bad," Will tried to explain. "Or if you want to spend more time without Paul, you can tell me."
"OK," Ari declared. "Go see friends now?"
"Yeah," Will smiled. "You can go see your friends."
Paul walked into the top corner unit of the condominium. Paul didn't know if he needed this much space for himself but everything looked fantastic.
The building had a state of the art gym, rooftop pool, and spa. Valet services and full time concierge. Everything inside of the unit was pristine and expensive.
"What do you think?" the realtor Paul hired asked.
"It looks great," Paul confessed. He walked over to the balcony and stepped outside. Paul shivered at the cold air. He glanced across at the riverfront view.
If he craned his neck to the side he could actually see Will's apartment complex. For whatever reason, that made Paul relieved.
"Do you want to see another unit?" the woman from the condo asked. "We have a few more floor plans. Or," the woman swallowed and tried not to frown. "A less expensive option."
"No," Paul decided. He came back inside. "I want this one."
Will stared at the paperwork Paul showed him for the condo. 'Holy crap, his HOA is three times as much as my rent.'
"Wow," Will finally said. "This looks ridiculously nice."
"It's pretty big," Paul admitted. He saw Will staring at the financial papers and slowly pulled them out of his reach. "And extravagant."
"Hey," Will smiled at Paul. "It's really nice. You deserve it."
"I could buy something smaller though, less ostentatious," Paul said. He felt kind of foolish showing this off to Will when Will had to move to a smaller apartment just to get by.
"You could," Will nodded. "But you shouldn't have to. Paul, you worked really hard for a long time. You deserve something this amazing to show for it."
"I just threw a ball," Paul shrugged.
"Ha," Will laughed. "You did more than that. You donated so much money," Will reminded him. "You've helped so many kids. Plus, after you came out, I'm sure you helped even more."
"So, don't do that," Will ordered. "Don't downplay your career or who you are."
"Thanks," Paul smiled. "I actually kind of had an idea."
"Oh?" Will looked at Paul.
"I've got a few extra rooms," Paul pulled out the paper with the floor plan on it. "I was thinking maybe turning this room into a playroom. If you and Ari ever stayed over."
Will lifted his eyebrows in surprise. "That's really sweet," Will bit his lip.
"Just some toys," Paul rushed to explain. He didn't want Will to think he was inviting them to move in. Their relationship was way too new for that. "Maybe a daybed or something. Just in case."
"I mean," Paul continued to ramble. "I was thinking about having you two over for dinner. Or maybe my dad and your grandma, and you could come. But what if Ari fell asleep? It's getting cold now and you shouldn't take her home in the cold. But where would she sleep? And what would she do? I wouldn't want her bored. And I know there's a balcony but I asked about safety so she can't get out and I-."
Will cut Paul off with a deep kiss.
Paul let Will shove him onto his back. He enjoyed the familiar weight of Will on top of him.
"You are so sweet," Will whispered against Paul's lips.
"I just want to make sure you're OK," Paul confessed. "I care about you both."
"I know," Will grinned. "You're doing a really great job."
"I am?" Paul asked. "I know I'm new to this out and proud boyfriend thing."
"Paul," Will kissed him again. "You are beyond amazing. Now stop talking."
Paul nodded before digging his hands into Will's hair.
"I'm supposed to be working," Will told Paul. The two were naked and pressed together on the bed, unkempt and sweaty.
"You started it," Paul swatted Will's bare butt.
"I wanted to make out," Will laughed. "You're the one that dragged me in here."
"I didn't see you complaining," Paul shook his head. "In fact, from the way you were screaming I'd say you enjoyed yourself."
"OK, fine," Will sighed. "But still. You're very distracting."
"I'm not apologizing for that," Paul stated proudly. "But, you do need to work. If you let me borrow your tablet I can start doing some furniture shopping."
"Sure," Will agreed. "And you can keep an eye on me and make sure I don't do anything dangerous."
"That's right I will," Paul promised. "I'm not letting anything happen to you now that I've got you."
"Ugh," Will complained. "I found Chad again but no Serena. How does one drunken man get this far across town?"
Will was diligently searching through the security footage again.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Paul asked.
"Yes and no," Will replied. "I know from the timestamp that Serena is still alive. Chad still could have had time to go back to the park though."
"Well, have you checked everywhere for a sign of him?" Paul wondered.
"I found him wandering through one part of town. Then he disappears again," Will said. "I checked the hotel footage and he gets there well after Serena was supposed to be killed."
"Anywhere in town you could have missed? University? His mansion? Docks?" Paul shot off suggestions.
"I already checked," Will responded. "Well, I checked the inside of the docks. I might be able to check the restaurant across the way from the entrance. Good thinking, puddin' pop."
"What do you think of this table?" Paul showed Will. He couldn't help from smiling at the ridiculous name.
"Uh," Will wrinkled his nose. He shook his head. "I don't like it."
"Good," Paul smiled. "Either do I."
About twenty minutes later, Will finally found something.
"Oh, oh my god. I think I found him," Will exclaimed. "Paul! Paul, look at this."
Paul, who was in the kitchen finding them something to eat, rushed over. "What?" he asked.
"Does that look like Chad?" Will questioned.
Paul stared at Will's laptop. On screen, there was an obviously inebriated man stumbling along near the docks. The camera view was at a strange angle. But it definitely could be Chad.
"It could be," Paul agreed. "But I don't know."
"Come on," Will urged. "Turn around and get your face on camera."
While the person bumbled around, Will grabbed his phone. Dialing quickly, he waited for Chad to answer.
"Chad!" Will yelled. "Hey, the night of Serena's murder. Do you think you could have been at the docks?"
"Uh," Chad held up his hand to the person he was with. He didn't need anyone knowing who he was meeting, even Will.
Chad wracked his brain. He glanced down at his new watch and it hit him.
"Yes," Chad yelled. "Yes, Will, that's where I was. That's what happened. I ended up at the docks and I got in a fight. But, how did you know that?"
Paul smacked Will's arm. The person on the screen titled their head up.
It was Chad.
"I have it on screen," Will breathed. "Oh my god, OK. This is great. Oh, hey, yeah, here comes a homeless guy."
"That's right," Chad snapped his fingers. "It was a bum," he whispered. "That's what happened. So, so, what do I do now? Do I have to find the homeless guy? Take him to the police?"
"No," Will winced. "No, it's pretty clear in the video you get beat up."
Chad rolled his eyes. "OK, so what? You give that over to the police."
"I will," Will confirmed. "But I want to find Serena too. Just to make sure that the police can't say you high tailed it to the park."
"Will, I love you," Chad loudly declared.
Will could have sworn he heard a giggle in the background.
"Yeah, love you too," Will responded. "I'll call you back with more later."
"Wow," Paul smiled at Will proudly. "My boyfriend the super sleuth."
"I'm a modern day Murder She Wrote," Will teased. "But it was your idea to look near the docks. So, that was all you."
"I'll be Watson. You be Sherlock," Paul replied.
"Now, I just need to figure out what happened to Serena. And who," Will declared.
"OK," Will told Paul between bites of his sandwich. "I have Serena entering the park. But I have no idea what happened after."
"Well," Paul tried to help. "Are there any buildings around there? Any that could be looking down near the park?"
"Hmm," Will mused. "The DiMera Towers is near there. They might have something I could pull."
"Wait," Paul stopped Will. He was staring at the security footage still. "Did you see that?" he asked. "Go back."
Will rewound for a few seconds. There. A tall figure in dark colors ran across the screen. Will leaned closer and watched it again. Whoever it was was tall and clearly male.
"That must be the killer," Will breathed.
"Look at the time," Paul pointed at the numbers running along the bottom of the feed. "Chad was getting his face punched in. That's not him."
"Holy crap," Will grinned. "I think we just cleared Chad."
"Now, we need to figure out who the real killer is," Paul decided.
'This detective business is pretty exciting,' Paul smiled.
Will messed with his laptop for a few moments before he gained access to the outdoor cameras at the DiMera Towers.
"You were right," Will stated proudly. "The camera from the penthouse looks right over the park."
With a bit of maneuvering, Will managed to get a grainy shot of Serena.
Serena was sitting on the park bench, seeming to be searching for something in her purse.
"Here comes the killer," Paul whispered. He grabbed Will's hand.
Even though he knew what was going to happen, Paul felt anxious.
"Look," Will frowned. "She recognizes whoever it is. She doesn't look afraid at all."
Will and Paul watched as Serena stood up. The man gestured to the path.
"Is he asking to walk her home?" Paul asked distastefully.
Will nodded. "Makes sense. She would have put up more of a fight if it was someone she didn't trust."
Serena turned her back on the man and walked forward. She was a little wobbly on her heels.
Then, the man pulled out a necktie.
Will and Paul both turned away. They didn't need to see what happened next.
"All that," Paul licked his lips. "And he didn't show his face once."
"If he's on screen here," Will stated. "He might be on screen somewhere else."
"Do you think it's that Clyde guy?" Paul asked warily.
Will paused the security footage on the mystery man. The view was too far away to get a real good indicator of his height.
"Looks too wide for Clyde," Will frowned. "But a bulky jacket could explain that. There's something off about Clyde. I've known that for a long time."
"Before you figure out what," Paul said. "You should call the police."
"And Chad," Will agreed.
Before Will could do either, his phone started buzzing.
"Speaking of," Will mumbled. "Rafe, I've got great news."
"Will," Rafe sighed.
"What is it? What happened?" Will demanded, stomach plummeting.
"We have another body," Rafe stated. "It's bad, Will. I," Rafe swallowed and closed his eyes. Rafe took a deep breath. "We had no choice, Will. We had to arrest him this time."
"Chad?" Will frowned. "Rafe, you don't understand. I-,"
"He had a meeting with her this morning. Her secretary said she left for the meeting and never came back. She got concerned and went to look for her. She found the body in the parking garage," Rafe explained quickly. "If you want the exclusive you better get here but it's not looking good for Chad."
'Had a meeting with? Oh-oh my god,' Will put his hand over his mouth. 'Focus, Will.'
"Chad didn't kill Serena. Someone is framing him," Will said decisively. "And I can prove it."
Rafe closed his eyes, unsettled by what he had seen in that parking garage.
"I'll be right down to the station," Will told Rafe. "Don't do anything until I get there, OK? I can prove it wasn't Chad."
"Witnesses have him in the parking garage, Will," Rafe said morosely. "After what I saw," Rafe exhaled loudly. "Just get here."
Will frowned before grabbing his laptop quickly.
"Will, what happened?" Paul urged. "Will?!"
Will looked at Paul and bit his lip. "Zoe's dead. They arrested Chad."
"I'll drive you," Paul told Will. "Let's go."
Will ran into the police station. His laptop bag banged against his hip. Paul had a meeting to get to or else he would have been by Will's side.
Will looked around for Rafe, his aunt, his grandpa, someone.
Finally spotting Justin, Will ran after him, shoving people aside. Will slipped into the door Justin tried to close.
"What are you doing in here?" Justin questioned, a smirk etched onto his features.
"Saving you from making a big mistake," Will replied.
"Will," Chad called from a chair further into the room. Chad was handcuffed to the table. Aiden Jennings was whispering in his ear. "Will, tell them what you found."
Will opened his bag and brandished his laptop.
Rafe and Hope were standing in the corner of the room, pale.
"I did some digging," Will explained. "And I can prove that Chad did not kill Serena Mason."
"Right," Justin snorted. "Sure."
Ignoring him, Will placed his laptop of the table. "Look," Will stated. "This footage is from the night of the murder. Here's Chad at the docks. It's 2:33 am."
"Now," Will showed another video. "Here's Serena coming into the park. 2: 19 am. Now, fast forward a bit," the tall, mysterious figure ran into the park. "This guy comes in 2:21 am."
Rafe and Hope moved closer as well as Justin and Aiden.
"I took this from the DiMera Towers security," Will told them. "Watch," Will ordered.
Everyone in the room stood glued to the screen. The footage wasn't the best but you could clearly see Serena in her leopard print dress. You could see the same figure from before. You could see the tie being wrapped around her throat. Her body being dumped in the bushes, a key dropped on top.
"2:35am," Will announced. "How could Chad be in two places at once?" Will asked.
Again Will brought up the video of Chad at the docks, being hit by a bum.
Rafe and Hope pushed their heads together, discussing.
"That doesn't mean anything," Justin tried to save face. "It doesn't mean he didn't kill Zoe Browning."
"I didn't kill anyone," Chad yelled.
Aiden shushed him immediately.
"You were meeting Zoe," Justin defended. "The guard at the entrance saw you go into the parking garage and he saw you leave."
"And I told you," Chad argued. "That I did not meet Zoe. I called and left her a message saying I was going to be late."
"Wait," Will frowned. "When was Zoe murdered? What time?"
"Coroner estimates somewhere between eleven and one," Hope told Will.
'That's when I was talking to Chad,' Will realized. 'And I thought he was with someone, a girl. But why wouldn't he just tell the police? If he has an eyewitness to corroborate his alibi why wouldn't he just-Oh.'
Will glared at Chad. 'Oh my god, he was with Abigail.'
Chad turned away from Will.
'If she didn't want to be a part of this she shouldn't have met him in a parking garage,' Will thought ruefully. 'What happened to committing to Ben and giving up a life of infidelity?'
While everyone began discussing things around him, Will grabbed his laptop. With little ease, he found the piss-poor security feed for the parking garage.
In a matter of seconds, Will found what he needed.
"There," Will said loudly. "That proof enough it wasn't Chad?"
On the screen, at 12:04pm, were Chad and Abigail. The two were standing way too closely for a casual meet up.
Flipping to another level on the garage, Will showed them the same figure as in the Serena video. 11:57am. Will paused it before he saw anything scarring.
"Well," Aiden announced. "I think you have more than enough grounds to release my client."
Hope un-cuffed Chad while Rafe talked to Aiden. It was less awkward for the couple then.
As soon as he was free, Chad scooped Will up into a giant hug.
"I somehow knew, all those years ago, that being your friend would pay off," Chad declared. He loudly kissed Will on the cheek several times.
"Yeah, yeah," Will patted Chad on the back. "We both always thought it'd be you saving me from jail though."
"Seriously, Will," Chad declared. "This is, just, ugh," Chad squeezed Will in a bone-crushing hug. "Thank you," he whispered.
"Of course," Will told him.
Will looked over Chad's shoulder and saw Justin standing alone. He was staring at the floor, a strange look on his face.
Chad pulled away from Will and turned to look as well. A part of Chad wanted to go over there and rub everything in Justin Kiriakis' sanctimonious face. Instead, Chad glanced at Will and smiled. He had a much better idea.
Will's fingers sped across his keyboard, trying to get everything down as fast as he could. He needed every bit of this on the evening edition to the paper. From Zoe's tragic and disturbing demise, the search into the security feeds, to helping prove Chad innocent.
'Should I downplay my role in this?' Will wondered. 'I don't want the killer to focus in on me for helping.'
Roman sat down next to Will.
"So, security feed, huh?" Roman asked.
"Yep," Will answered.
"I thought I told you to do everything by the book," Roman warned. "That nothing could be bungled with this investigation."
"I didn't do anything illegal," Will shrugged. "Well, not that illegal. Besides, I did it by myself and offered my findings to the police. It was for my own private investigation."
Roman smiled and clapped Will on the shoulder. "You're lucky you're cute," Roman teased.
"Good work, kiddo," Roman praised.
"Grandpa," Will asked. "What do you know about Clyde Weston?"
"Why do you ask?" Roman narrowed his eyes.
"I have a theory," Will started.
"No," Roman cut him off before he could begin. "Leave Weston alone. I am serious, Will. Do not go after him. Do not talk to him. Nothing, got it?"
"Got it," Will said. 'Not.'
Will sat next to Rafe in the interrogation room.
"You sure you want to see this?" Rafe asked. "It's unsettling. I almost wish it was Chad so we could arrest him. And not have to worry about this anymore."
"I can handle it," Will promised. 'I hope.'
Rafe handed Will the pictures they had expedited from the crime scene.
Will visibly paled.
"Whoever this is," Rafe sighed. "They're escalating. The previous victims were strangled with the tie but that's it. Zoe though," Rafe closed his eyes.
"Yeah," Will swallowed, stopping at one picture. "Do, um, do you know if this was done before or, or after?"
Rafe looked at the photo. "Medical examiner thinks it was pre-mortem," Rafe said. "I don't know if that makes it better or worse."
"Poor Zoe," Will whispered.
"Why do you think whoever it was did this?" Will asked. "Why not just strangle her? Why go this far?"
"Looks like they took out their aggression at her," Rafe said. "In that video of Serena, the guy's body language looked relaxed. He didn't seem agitated or angry. But this," Rafe held up one picture. "This doesn't happen without anger."
"No, no it doesn't," Will agreed.
"Shouldn't she be covered in DNA?" Will wondered. "After everything that he did to her."
"Did you take a closer look?" Rafe asked.
Will looked closer. He didn't know if he wanted to cry or vomit.
"God," Rafe ran his fingers through his hair. "This is getting beyond our control. Roman was talking about requesting FBI help. I'm tempted to agree with him."
"Five victims," Will nodded. "Your only suspect just got cleared. And you've got a serial killer escalating."
"I know Salem is a small town," Rafe explained. "We don't have the most advanced resources. We're not up to date on technology. Maybe the FBI could help us. Or…"
"Or?" Will glanced at Rafe out of the corner of his eyes.
Rafe nodded. "Or maybe if someone else looked into it. Did all the things the police can't? Maybe it would lead to an arrest. A pretty big story too."
"And some much needed peace of mind for this town," Will stated. His mind was whirling. 'Do I really want to do this? Is it worth it?'
"We never had this conversation," Rafe told Will. He stood up and walked away.
'I better talk to Paul before I do something stupid,' Will told himself.
Will left the room to look for his grandpa. Will figured he should at least tell him goodbye. Knocking on his office door, Will opened it. Roman was no where to be found.
'Guess I'll just leave a message,' Will thought.
Will recalled when he was younger and would stay in the police station. Will could barely read or write but he would leave his grandpa post-its all over his desk.
Seeing a package of post-its on the desk, Will grinned. He picked up a pen and scribbled a quick picture of two stick figures wearing matching police uniforms. Will helpfully labeled the pictures so his grandpa wouldn't be confused. Will put his hand on the desk to balance while he leaned forward to stick the post-it on a computer screen.
Will glanced down at his hand. Underneath it was a file. A file labeled: Weston, Clyde.
Will chewed his lower lip before sighing.
'Sorry, Paul. This time I'm jumping into the stupid decision,' Will thought. He grabbed his phone and started taking pictures.
When Will went to leave the station he saw Chad waiting for him.
"Hey," Will said. "I thought you'd have run home to tell your father the good news. Or someone else," Will pointedly said.
Chad smiled weakly. "I will but first I need you to do something for me."
Chad bent closer to Will and whispered in his ear.
Will rolled his eyes but agreed.
Setting his shoulders, Will marched over to Justin.
"Justin, would you like to make a statement for the newspaper?" Will asked, smiling innocently.
"No," Justin gruffly replied.
"Oh, OK," Will nodded. He glanced over to make sure Chad was watching. "Well, I'd love to stay and chat but I need to get my article to the paper. And then I need to get home and have dirty, raunchy sex with Paul. See you!"
After saying goodbye to Chad, Will immediately headed over to pick up Ari. Halfway there, his phone began to ring. Will glanced at the screen before answering.
"Hi, Dad," Will said.
"Son," Lucas acknowledged. "I'm at your place and you're not here. My spare key isn't working either."
"Uh, yeah," Will lowered his voice. He was suddenly hit with the need to keep the move a secret. 'The less people that know I moved the better.'
"Adrienne said Eric dropped off some boxes for Sonny at the mansion," Lucas added.
"He did," Will confirmed. "I don't exactly need his things around anymore."
"I also," Lucas continued. "Had an interesting dinner with your mother the other night."
"She mentioned it, yeah," Will evaded.
"Are you going to tell me what's going on or what?" Lucas demanded, frustrated.
"Ari and I moved," Will said simply. "And I kind of need you to keep that a secret."
"A secret? Why?" Lucas wondered.
"I just have a bad feeling," Will explained. "Just, can you please not tell anyone yet? You can tell Adrienne but I don't want anyone else knowing."
'I don't need Clyde knowing,' Will amended.
"OK," Lucas said. "Son, are you in any kind of trouble? Is this about your new job?"
"Maybe," Will replied. "I just need to be cautious right now."
"You know you two can always stay with me," Lucas offered. "I'd do anything to keep you safe."
"I know," Will nodded. "And I'm sure we're safe. Besides, Paul's with us almost every night."
"Right," Lucas stretched the word out. "Paul. Your mother said something about him."
"Yeah," Will confidently responded. "That he's my boyfriend now."
"Will," Lucas sighed. "Are you sure about this? I know you were having fun sneaking around with him but this is different."
"I know that," Will stated. "I know exactly what I'm doing, Dad. Paul's been great with me and with Ari."
"In fact," Will smiled. "It was Ari's idea for us to be boyfriend's anyway."
"Really?" Lucas' lips twitched upwards.
"Oh, hey," Will thought of something. "Has she been talking to Sonny as much lately?"
"Truthfully," Lucas grimaced. "No. It's been hard to get ahold of him. I know he's busy working."
"That explains it," Will mumbled. "Damn. I'm gonna need to call him myself."
"Why?" Lucas questioned.
"Ari's upset with him," Will admitted. "And I apparently need to remind him that just because he left me doesn't mean he left her."
"I'll see if Adrienne can talk to him too," Lucas told Will. "I don't want anything happening to my granddaughter."
"Thanks," Will smiled. "Um, do you think maybe sometime you would come over and have dinner with Ari, Paul, and me?"
"I would like that," Lucas confirmed. "But it might be best to leave Adrienne at home."
"I didn't want to be the one to say it," Will laughed. "OK, Dad, I gotta go."
"Bye, son," Lucas said.
Will walked into the building for The Salem Chronicle and headed for the daycare center. He had the sudden urge to shower his daughter with attention.
A few hours later, Paul came over to Will's new apartment.
"Hey," Paul said when Will answered the door.
Will kissed Paul and invited him in. "We're playing princesses," Will told Paul.
"Paul," Ari clapped her hands. "Play, play!"
"Can't say no to that," Paul said. He eased himself onto the floor with them and picked up a princess figurine.
"I thought you'd be working," Paul told Will. "After what happened today."
"Yeah," Will nodded. "I should be. But being a father is more important to me right now."
Paul furrowed his eyebrows. "What happened?" he asked in a low tone.
"I'll tell you later," Will promised with a weak smile.
"Play," Ari urged them both.
Around an hour later, Will came back into the front room.
"She asleep?" Paul asked.
"Yeah," Will nodded. He had stayed in Ari's room longer than he normally would. But something about seeing his daughter's chest rise and fall soothed him.
"You gonna tell me what's gotten you so shaken?" Paul questioned.
Will collapsed on the couch into Paul's arms. He buried his face in Paul's chest.
"It was awful. Poor Zoe," Will said.
"She wasn't strangled?" Paul asked, concerned.
"No," Will weakly replied. "I mean yes but no. She was strangled but not like the other women. This time was worse."
"What do you mean?" Paul held Will close.
"He used the tie but he didn't stop. Every other time he stopped once it was done. This time he kept going," Will explained with a shiver. "Her throat was practically sliced open."
"And," Will took a deep breath. "There were signs of sexual assault."
"What?" Paul gasped. "But all the others…"
"Yeah," Will agreed. "Rafe thinks he must have been in a rage. Because he left marks and bruises and, and tearing."
"Shouldn't there be DNA?" Paul wondered.
"She must have clawed him pretty good," Will's lower lip wobbled. "Because he cut off her fingers and took them with him."
"Jesus," Paul rubbed up and down Will's back.
"The sooner this person is caught the better," Will stated.
"Just promise me you're being careful," Paul demanded. "Please, Will. Now that we know how violent this guy can be."
Will pulled away from Paul and sat on his knees.
"You know how I told you I would talk to you before I did anything stupid?" Will worried his bottom lip.
Paul narrowed his eyes. "What did you do?" he demanded.
"I was in my grandpa's office," Will pulled on the hem of his shirt. "And there was a file on Clyde on his desk."
"Will," Paul covered his eyes with his hand.
"I took pictures," Will admitted. "And now I know why everyone told me to leave it alone."
Paul wasn't happy about this. 'But since he already has the info,' Paul thought.
"What did you find out?" Paul wondered.
"They're pretty sure that Clyde's involved in drug trafficking," Will confessed.
"Will," Paul groaned. "This is, no, I don't like this."
"I don't either," Will agreed.
"A serial killer and some drug lord," Paul shook his head. "Oh, and they might be the same person."
"I'm going to be careful," Will promised. "OK, from now on, I'll stay safely behind my computer screen."
"Yes, you are," Paul ordered. "If you have to go down to the police station every morning and work there I don't care."
"If I have to, yeah," Will nodded. "I just want this to be over with as soon as possible."
"Good," Paul yanked Will back into his arms. "Good."
"I want to keep my move a secret too," Will told Paul.
"What?" Paul frowned.
"That way if whoever this person is," Will explained. "Goes to look for me they'll think I'm at the old apartment. That's why I'm not telling anyone."
"OK," Paul sighed in relief. "But if things get too dangerous you two are staying with me. I don't care."
"I agree," Will nodded. "Whatever it takes to make sure we're all safe."
Paul ran his fingers through Will's hair. "Why don't you go take a nice, warm shower? OK?"
Will nodded. "Yeah, that sounds good. Are you coming with me?"
"I'll be there in a bit," Paul gave Will a smile. "I forgot that I need to call my dad."
"Yeah, you should do that," Will said. "I know how much your relationship means to you both."
Paul watched Will walk into his bedroom.
'And I know how much this relationship means to me,' Paul thought, making a decision. 'That's why I need to do whatever I can to make sure nothing happens to you, Will.'
"Dad," Paul said into his phone. "Do you think you can do me a favor?"
Author's note:
Alright how am I doing?
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