Brooke and Adam were sat together at the breakfast table. Brooke had been trying in vain to keep Adam from the newspapers, he was getting more and more worked up about the articles being published and she knew he would be less than pleased with the headline on the front page of the Daily Inquirer. Instead she pushed a copy of the Times in his direction in a hope that Simon Hale's more balanced article would be a way to cushion the blow.
This morning they should be celebrating a new child in the Chandler family, Stuart's new granddaughter, but the newspaper headlines still hung over the family like a heavy cloud. Ever since the press conference they had been plagued by reporters, Brooke had had more than one or two run-ins herself, especially with the odious fellow from the Inquirer. She was watching her husband slowly wither away under the pressure, trying so hard to be the good guy for once and everything was just blowing up in his face. JR had acted like a selfish fool and now Adam's family was slowly disintegrating around him. Brooke was going to do everything in her power to make sure that didn't happen.
She was watching him now, as Adam took a sip of his coffee, nodding in approval at the article in the Times. He was looking a little more himself this morning.
Adam folded the paper and looked up at Brooke.
"A very good article." he said happily, "But then that Mr Hale is very good at balanced reports. Now I need to see what filth the Inquirer is spewing."
Brooke reached across the table and took his hand.
"Don't let some journalistic hack spoil our breakfast." she begged.
But Adam wouldn't be stopped.
He sneered at the headline, but when he read deeper into the short article, his face turned white.
"How… how did they know!" he exclaimed.
He slammed now the paper and marched out of the room.
Brooke hurried after him.
"Adam, where are you going? – You shouldn't get worked up like this!"
He didn't answer; he simply stormed out of the house.
…
Jackson had made the final check of Henry's latest deposition when a red faced Adam Chandler stalked angrily into the room.
"I told you not to tell anyone!" he exclaimed, thumping his fist on the desk. "Why did I think for one second you were someone I could trust?!"
"What?" asked Jackson, startled by the outburst. "What's wrong?"
"My will." retorted Adam. "I ask you to keep it secret and then I find it all over the cover of the Inquirer of all papers! How much did they offer you? Was it you who brought up the baby swap disaster as well?!"
Jackson leaped to his feet, horrified of the accusation.
"Wherever the leak came from, it wasn't here!" exclaimed Jackson, "Your documents haven't left my desk! How dare you accuse me of this! Why would you think for one second that I would sell out my niece and her family… which now, if you recall, includes Marissa and your grandson?!"
"You are the only other person who knew!" Adam snapped right back, but the fire had gone from his voice, he was beginning to realise that Jackson had just as much to lose as he did. "You are that certain no one else has seen my will?"
Jackson took the key from his pocket and unlocked his desk drawer.
"It has been kept here under lock and key. No one will have seen it… "
Then Jackson stopped as he remembered the other day when Erica had stormed in and he had left Henry alone in the office with the papers still on the desk.
"Someone did see it!" exclaimed Adam, recognising the flicker of doubt in Jack's eyes.
"There is a possibility that one of my colleagues may have seen the will."
Jackson scowled, he had grown quite fond of Henry; he found it hard to believe he could have something to do with this.
Jackson picked up the phone and called Henry's office, asking him to come through.
The young lawyer appeared moments later, he smiled blankly at Adam… one thing is certain if he was a mole, he was a damn good actor.
"Henry, when I left you in my office last week, did you happen to notice the documents that were sitting on my desk?"
"Have you lost something?" Henry asked back, he expression still blank.
"No, but I was wondering if you happened to read the private documents that were on my desk?"
Henry began to turn a little pink behind the ears.
"Um… I may have glanced at them."
"Them?" asked Jackson.
"The will." said Henry, shamefaced, "There was a will, I recognised the Chandler name from the papers and I got curious."
"And then you sold the story to the nearest rag!" snarled Adam, taking an aggressive step forward.
Henry bawked,
"No I never… I would never…"
"Did you mention it to anyone?" Jackson asked.
"No one, I swear."
"You didn't hint to friends or family… let it slip out in conversation?"
"Well I might have said something to my girlfriend, Valerie. She's interested in the case. She used to work at Krystal's, you see, as a waitress. She knows them so she's involved."
"Valerie." asked Jackson, the name was vaguely familiar, hadn't she taken Marissa's old job at the Yacht Club. "You trust her to keep things confidential?"
Before Henry could reply Adam interrupted.
"She hasn't recently… I don't know… come into money unexpectedly?" he growled.
Henry furrowed his brow.
"She was wearing a new jacket last week… she said an uncle had died and she got a small inheritance."
Jackson shook his head in disbelief.
There was a sudden thump and Jackson looked up to see Adam fall back against the wall, his face so white it was almost grey.
"A waitress… ruined by a waitress. My investors are going to have a fit now they know that I am dividing my assets! Why did I think I could keep this a secret? It's over!" He groaned, sinking slowly to the floor, his hand clutching at his heart.
Jackson hurried to his side.
"Adam… Adam are you alright… Adam can you hear me?"
Adam closed his eyes; Jackson's voice got further and further away as a sharp pain spread slowly out from his chest.
…