EPISODE THREE: Unwelcome Returns

CHAPTER ONE

Everyone present was speechless for a moment. Ethan was the first to find his voice. "What the hell are you doing here?"

To his surprise, it was Dan that answered. "He was released a month ago. I just got the notification from his supervisors that his psychiatrist had recommended he be allowed to come back to Scotsdale."

Ethan didn't seem particularly allayed by this. "Why would he want to do that?"

"Yeah, Thayer,"Sutton agreed. "What do you want?"

Thayer's gaze swept from her to Emma. "You got something you want to say, Emma?"

"Same as them,"Emma replied, although her tone was noticeably less confrontational than the others. "Why would you want to come back here, Thayer?"

Laurel took a step forward, closer to her sisters. "That's my question too."

This time, it was Caroline that answered. "It was felt that spending time in familiar surroundings might help Thayer readjust."

"This is a private party,"Dan told them, even though he had no idea what deal Ethan and the others had made with the country club management.

Graham held up his hands placatingly. "Just show us to our rooms and we'll get out of your way."

There was a tense moment until Justin broke the standoff by pushing his way through the crowd. "I'll get your keys,"he decided, leading the three out of the hall.

"What do you think of that?"Ethan wondered.

"Maybe it's genuine,"Emma suggested.

"It's pretty bad timing either way."

A pointed cough drew everyone's attention back to the door. Standing there was not Thayer or one of his family, but an older man whose hat and outfit gave him the look of a cowboy. For those present who had met him before, he was instantly recognisable as Ethan and Dan's father Ben.

He raised an eyebrow. "So…someone told me my boy's getting married?"

Dan wasn't quite sure how, but he'd managed to usher Ben into a corner to chat with Kristen and Peter while he had a quiet emergency conference with Sutton, Ethan, Emma, Laurel, Jordan, Char and Justin. "How is he here?"Ethan was asking.

"It's all been cleared through the official channels,"Dan replied. "I'm sorry but there's nothing we can do."

"How did we not know any of this?"Laurel asked.

Char raised her hand awkwardly. "Um, confession. Mads rang me and told me Thayer was out. She didn't think he was going to come back here so I thought you were better off not knowing."

"Oh, thanks for that heads up,"Sutton commented drily.

Emma patted Char's arm encouragingly. "It's okay, you did what you thought was right."

"So what do we do now?"Jordan wondered.

"Keep an eye on him,"Dan replied. "It's all we can do." He glanced back over to Ben. "And I'm sorry to bring this up now but who invited Dad?" He looked at Ethan.

"Hey, not me,"Ethan assured him. "I know not to go there."

"I rang him and told him about the engagement,"Sutton remarked airily. She saw everyone looking at her and waved her hands defensively. "What? I thought he should know!"

Dan sighed and took her hand and together they went over to their parents. "Hi, Dad,"he greeted Ben, his voice strained. "I think you know Sutton?"

Ben doffed his hat. "Yes. Very different circumstances to when we last met, as I've just been telling your mother here."

"Have you any idea where you're going to stay?"Sutton asked. "We…" – she caught Dan's look – "…don't have the room, I'm afraid."

"He could stay with us,"Kristen suggested. "If that's all right with everyone."

It wouldn't have been Dan's first choice but it was the best option they had available. He nodded. "Seems all right with me."

"Well, it's settled then,"Ben agreed. "And I'll be on hand for a catch up with my boys."

Sutton looked at Dan again, seeing he was barely holding his temper in check. "We'll see what we can do."

Ethan and Emma arrived home that night in a much less happy mood than they had been expecting. Emma watched her husband's back as he removed his jacket and dumped it over a sofa. "Do we need to talk?"

"What about?"Ethan asked sarcastically.

"About what you're going to do now?"

Ethan turned to her. "How about we talk about if you feel as angry about this as I do?"

"I wish Thayer wasn't here,"Emma answered. "Mainly for Dan's sake, having to cope with it after what he did to Therese…"

"But?"Ethan prompted.

"But I'm kind of pleased for him that he gets the chance to rebuild his life. I thought I loved him once or thought I could have done…"

"He tried to frame me for murder,"Ethan reminded her.

Emma swallowed hard. "Yes and I haven't forgotten that. I'm not going to be friends with him again, I just…" She thought hard for a moment. "I just wish there wasn't all this tension."

It was next morning when Char, Justin, Lexi and Phyllis were sat down for breakfast. Phyllis was trying to fill in the blanks. "I remember Thayer, of course. And his mother. Never really settled in round here. He killed that boy you were seeing, didn't he?"

"Derek, yes,"Char agreed quietly.

"And Dan's fiance,"Lexi recalled. "Wasn't there someone else?"

"My sister,"Phyllis noted.

"To be fair to him about that one,"Char added,"she was about to shoot Emma at the time."

Justin took her hand. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure,"Char admitted. She was relieved when a knock at the door interrupted the silence. "I'll get that!"she announced, hurrying through.

She opened the door…to find Mads and Eduardo standing there.

Mads gave an awkward look. "So how much do you all hate us right now?"