There have been some comments about Eve in this story and I wanted to offer a couple of thoughts. Generally, I see Eve in this story in much the same way Kim and Kayla have viewed her. In my eyes, she is still a little girl who spent a lifetime hoping to find her father and, once she found him, she experienced something she had never had before - unconditional love. But that comes with a downside, namely, she fears losing that love. As a result, she has often viewed Kim as something of a threat.
Eve's relationship with Kim is interesting to me, because in the show's canon, she went from hating Kim with a vengeance in 1987 and early 1988 to becoming part of the family from late 1988 through fall of 1989. But then Shane "died" and Eve lost the one thing that had become a stabilizing force in her life. Undoubtedly, Kim still loved Eve, but that could never replace Shane and Eve was terrified and felt abandoned. (There is a wonderful scene between Eve and Steve of all people, where he calls Eve out about her behavior toward Kim and Cal and forces her to admit that she feels lost and is angry at Shane for leaving her.) So in the immediate aftermath of Shane's "death," Eve lashed out at Kim. Then, when Kim got together with Cal and did things like remove all the pictures of Shane from the downstairs of the mansion, Eve felt that Kim was betraying Shane's memory.
As I see it, Kim and Eve's relationship never recovered from that. Kim left Salem only a few months after Shane regained his memory and when Kim returned in 1991, Eve was hostile toward Kim until she left for Africa with Frankie.
Another element of the hostility, imo, is that Eve has a protective streak when it comes to Shane. The biggest example of it is in her nearly killing Nick after she overheard him planning to kill Shane. And Eve's view that Kim "hurt" Shane is something she actually said to Shane. When he returned from Alamainia to find the divorce papers, Shane was stunned when he opened the envelope, but Eve was virtually celebrating. She then explained that because Kim caused Shane so much pain, Eve cannot pretend to be sorry that Kim is gone. (Shane, btw, absolutely shuts her down, asking her if he asked for her opinion and then tells her to keep it to herself.) That scene, imo, illustrates how Eve views Kim on her return to Salem.
Please note that I'm not defending Eve's behavior toward Kim nor am I saying that Kim deserves Eve's enmity. It's important for readers to understand that when characters say or think things, that is their opinion (and even then, sometimes they don't mean what they say). Those statements do not necessarily reflect the views of the author. But I will say that, just as a lot of the relationships between the characters have changed during the course of this story, Eve's will too. And you might be surprised at the role she still has to play.
Anyway, thank you again for reading - or skimming in the case of some readers ;-). The story is far from over and, hopefully, you will enjoy the rest.
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Reclining on his sofa in his mansion in Alamainia, Lawrence listened to Ivan's report on the latest events transpiring in Salem. He chuckled as Ivan described the Salem Police Department's discovery of his departure.
"It really took them this long to figure it out?" Lawrence raised an eyebrow. "How disappointing. But then I guess we must thank Steve Johnson for that. Had he not paid the estate his little visit, our friends in the ISA and Salem PD might have discovered my departure right away."
"Very true, sir," Ivan said.
Lawrence waited patiently for the next bit of news. Shane Donovan was out of his coma. Good. That means he will be recovered by the time I'm ready for him.
"And there is Katerina's project, sir. We have some interesting news."
Lawrence sat up in his chair. This he wanted to here. "Go ahead, Ivan."
"Yes . . . As you know, Katerina has been working on a secret project through the University Hospital immunology lab."
"That's right." Lawrence had been told that while he was in prison.
Ivan nodded. "Our sources at the hospital say that she has been receiving large deliveries. Although the deliveries themselves have no identifiable source, we have traced them to a private laboratory in Washington, D.C."
"And?" Lawrence waited for more.
"The laboratory is run by a woman named Lindy Bowers," Ivan explained. "She is a top researcher, noted for her expertise in biochemical agents. She has no known ISA connections though."
Lawrence shook his head. "That hardly matters. We can hardly chalk this up to coincidence. We always figured that Steve Johnson told the ISA about the testing he underwent. It is not surprising that they are working with experts in toxins." He stood up from his chair and walked toward the window, which overlooked the ocean. "So what do we know about these deliveries?"
Ivan did not answer immediately, which told Lawrence the answer.
"So not much, I suppose," Lawrence said. He tried to think about what the ISA might send to Salem as part of Katerina's research? Test subjects? Venoms? Anti-venoms? It probably made no real difference to Lawrence. He had been assured by his biochemical expert that his toxin would, at best, only be arrested by the old anti-venoms. And that required immediate administration of those drugs. Only the true antidote would actually stop Lawrence's toxin, and he was sure the ISA did not have the formula. Indeed, only one man knew the formula - and he was busy at Lawrence's secret laboratory in Mauritius.
Still, Lawrence had to have some concern about Katerina's project. If she had something capable of impeding the toxin in any way, it could make the toxin appear less lethal than it needed to be for his prospective buyers. They wanted a poison that could kill in minutes. If it could be slowed, they might look elsewhere. And Lawrence could not have all of this work be deemed a failure.
Lawrence took a few steps toward the window, then turned and paced back toward the sofa where he had been sitting. "We need a distraction, Ivan. We need Katerina to use what she has in one location, while the true test is being conducted elsewhere."
"What kind of distraction are you envisioning, sir?" Ivan stood impassively as he waited.
Lawrence thought hard. His ultimate demonstration of power would involve a target that would be so devastating, all of Salem would suffer. The decoy would be different, something he could explain to his buyers. Even if not everyone at the decoy site died, Lawrence would just explain that it was designed to give a false sense of security. And the horrifying deaths at the true target would prove just how lethal and effective the toxin is.
His eyes scanned the room and came to rest on a copy of the Salem Spectator sitting on the coffee table near Ivan. Looking at it, Lawrence began to chuckle.
It's almost too perfect.
Not only would his decoy be explainable, but it would provide a satisfying measure of personal revenge. Lawrence already had his plans for Shane Donovan, but now he could deal with the other people responsible for his imprisonment.
"Sir?"
Lawrence turned back to Ivan, who was waiting for an answer. With a smile, Lawrence said, "I have the perfect distraction. Tell our people in Salem that I want them to watch Jack and Jennifer Devereaux around the clock. I want to know their routines - where they go, when, everything. This will require careful planning and timing, but if all works as planned, our former friends in Salem won't know what hit them."