Previously: Relieved that her daughter Kirby was safe after not arriving at the Founder’s Day Masquerade Party, Corrine Canary offered Gavin Gold money to help fix the limo that Kirby had told Corrine had broken down, thus causing her to miss the party. Gavin, confused as to why Kirby would lie to her mother about the fact that she had been kidnapped by Rhoit Saffron, told Corrine that what Kirby had told her was not the compete truth, but Gavin was stopped from elaborating when Kirby interrupted them. Alva Vermillion meanwhile was shocked when she received a message that Rhoit had quit his job at the Black Towers Hotel. Alva was unaware that Rhoit had been murdered by Baron Arthur Bronze the night before. Channing Steele arrived at the hotel with the Lavender Lynx Diamond in tow, and went to Lady Lavender’s suite, where Lady Lavender took the diamond and hurried to get it to the PlantCorp lab. Baron Bronze then informed Steele that their plans for Founder’s Day were jeopardized because Alva Vermillion had overheard Bronze and Lavender. Bronze also told Channing that Rhoit had mistakenly kidnapped Kirby Canary and not Alva Vermillion and that Rhoit had been eliminated. Steele then told Bronze to let him take care of Alva and Kirby. Alphonse Brunette and Mindy Mint went to the Mountain View Penitentiary to meet with Mindy’s mother, Misty Arugula. Disguised as a lawyer, Brunette wanted to get Arugula to sign Mindy’s trust fund over to them. Mindy was devastated however, when Mrs. Arugula revealed that she had used the money in the trust fund to pay for her defense lawyers. Mindy, heartbroken that her mother would steal from her, confided in Jessie Sumac that she never wanted to see her mother again. Jessie then invited Mindy to come to the Miss Blackport Contest. When Alphonse heard that first prize for winning the contest was ten thousand dollars, Brunette told Mindy she was going to do more than watch the contest, but that she was going to be in the contest and win. At the Blackport police station, Audrey Summers went to try and find the engagement ring that her brother Jake had lost in an accident. Audrey lost her way in the corridors of the police station and was helped by Detective Garnet who told Audrey where the evidence room was located. Audrey found the room and let herself in to try and find the ring.

“A Familiar Face”

In Kirby Canary's suite at the Black Towers Hotel, Gavin Gold sits silently on a sofa waiting for Kirby to change clothes. “Can you explain to me one more time why you lied to your mother about what happened last night?” Gavin calls out to Kirby.

“I told you…” Kirby says from the next room, she comes out, buttoning her blouse, “If I would have told my mother that Rhoit kidnapped me, she would have wanted to go to the police.” Kirby explains.

“And? Don’t you think going to the police would have been the smart thing to do?” Gavin says.

“Gavin, you heard Rhoit when he was on his cell phone. He wasn’t acting on his own, he was working for someone. Rhoit obliviously is mixed up with some bad people.” Kirby says.

“Obviously.” Gold says.

“He was so nice to me after my father’s murder. I know he wouldn’t have kidnapped me if someone wasn’t forcing him to do it. I can’t just tell my mother or the police, not until I talk to Rhoit again. I want to help him.” Kirby says.

“Help him? You can’t be serious?” Gavin says. “He kidnapped you for Christ’s sake. Not to mention he chloroformed me and stole the limo.”

“And you know as well as I do that he would never have done those things if someone wasn't making him.” Kirby says.

“I just don’t know Kirby.” Gavin sighs.

“Gavin, please, I want you to go with me to find Rhoit.” Kirby says.

“And then what?” Gavin asks.

“Maybe he will tell us why he did this, and we can figure out how to help him.” Kirby says. She goes over to the door of her suite. “Are you coming?”

“Incredible.” Gavin sighs as he stands up. “I hope I don’t regret this.” He says joining her.

Downstairs in the hotel Lobby, Corrine Canary steps off of the elevator. She sees Baron Arthur Bronze in the sitting area. She walks over to him. “Arthur.” Corrine calls to him.

“Hello, Corrine.” Bronze says, standing up. “How is Kirby?”

“She’s doing fine, thank you. I wanted to apologize again for making you leave the Masquerade Party prematurely.”

“I won’t hear anymore, Corrine. I know how worried you were about Kirby.” He says. He looks past her and sees Channing Steele come out of an elevator. “Now if you excuse me, I’ve just spotted one of my business associates.”

“Of course.” Corrine nods. Bronze leaves her alone and meets Steele by the elevators.

“Steele.” Bronze says.

“The investors have started assembling in the conference room upstairs.” Mr. Steele says.

“Lady Su Sian Lavender got word from the lab and everything is coming along on that end.” Bronze says.

“Good.” Steele smiles. They watch as Alva Vermillion talks to a hotel guest at the concierge desk.

“And about the other matter?” Bronze asks, looking over at Corrine.

“Don’t worry, Arthur.” Channing says, “I have it all taken care of.” The elevator doors open and Kirby and Gavin step out. Bronze and Steele watch as they walk past.

“She doesn’t look any worse for the wear.” Bronze says, referring to Kirby.

“Not yet, anyway.” Steele says, hitting Bronze on the back. Kirby and Gavin go to the concierge desk where Alva is just finishing up with the guest.

“Thank you, sir.” Alva smiles. The guest leaves. “Hi, there.” She says to Kirby and Gavin.

“Hey, you got a minute?” Kirby asks.

“Sure, what’s up?” Alva asks.

“Is Rhoit scheduled to work today?” Kirby asks. “I need to talk to him, and he isn’t answering his cell.”

“Oh, I guess you didn’t hear.” Alva says.

“Hear what?” Kirby asks.

“Rhoit’s mother called this morning. He quit.” Alva sighs.

“He what?” Gavin asks. He looks at Kirby.

“He just up and quit. I don’t get it either.” Alva shrugs.

“That’s not good.” Kirby says, looking at Gavin. “Alva, do you have a number other than his cell where I can reach him?”

“Yeah, but Rhoit’s mom was adamant that we not contact him.” Alva says.

“I bet.” Gavin says.

“What do you mean by that, Gavin?” Alva says.

“Nothing.” Kirby says, hitting Gavin’s arm. “He’s just being stupid.”

“You guys know something, don’t you?” Alva says. “Do you know the real reason why Rhoit quit?”

“No, of course we don’t.” Kirby says. “How would we know?”

“Well, Jessica said it was because of her.” Alva says.

“Because of Jessie?” Gavin asks. “What do you mean?”

“Well, Jessie seems to think that Rhoit was having a hard time seeing her with Chad.” Alva says. “She thinks he was jealous.”

“I don’t think that’s it.” Gavin says.

“So you do know something.” Alva says.

“No, he doesn’t.” Kirby says, hitting Gavin again.

“We should tell her, Kirby.” Gavin says.

“Gavin, shut it.” Kirby says.

“Tell me what?” Alva asks.

“We think that Rhoit is in some kind of trouble.” Gavin says.

“Gavin!” Kirby says.

“C’mon Kirby, you won’t tell the police or your mom, we have to tell someone.” Gavin says.

“Tell me what? What kind of trouble is Rhoit in?” Alva says.

“We aren’t sure, Alva, so I wouldn’t get too stressed out about it.” Kirby says.

“If it caused him to quit his job without any warning…” Alva says.

“Rhoit kidnapped Kirby last night and held her hostage in a room at the Pine Cone Inn.” Gavin interrupts.

“Gavin!” Kirby says.

“Kirby?” A voice says from behind them. Kirby turns to see her mother standing behind them.

“Thanks Gavin, thanks a whole lot.” Kirby says.

Across town on the steps of Mountain View Penitentiary, Alphonse Brunette and Mindy Mint have just come from meeting with Mindy’s mother and are getting ready to go back to their car. “I really am sorry, Mindy.” Alphonse says.

“I bet you are.” Mindy says as they reach the bottom of the stairs.

“I really am.” Brunette says. “I know what it’s like to have mother issues.”

“Yeah.” Mindy shrugs. They begin walking down the sidewalk to the parking lot, along the way they pass a young woman holding a child. “Do you really think that I can win the beauty pageant?” Mindy asks him. Brunette doesn’t respond. “Did you hear me?” She looks back at Brunette, who has stopped in the middle of the sidewalk. Brunette watches as the young woman with the child goes up the stairs of the penitentiary. “Hey, you alright?” Mindy says, walking back to him.

“Yeah.” Brunette says, still watching the young woman. Mindy sees that Brunette is focused on the woman, who enters the building.

“You know her, or something?” Mindy asks. He doesn’t respond again. “Hey, Al you with me?” Mindy waves her hand in front of his eyes. Brunette snaps to attention.

“It’s freezing out here, we better go.” He says. He begins walking to the parking area again.

“Ok?” Mindy says, hurrying to catch up with him.

In a conference room in the Black Towers Hotel, a group of men and women have assembled around a long table. A projector is set up at one end of the room, pointed at a large screen that is spread out on a wall at the other end of the room. Baron Bronze and Channing Steele stand outside the door of the conference room. “She is on her way.” Bronze says to Steele, referring to Lady Lavender.

“The natives are getting restless.” Steele says about people in the conference room.

“Su always likes to make a grand entrance at these things.” Bronze says. “We should go in.” Bronze opens the door of the conference room and lets Steele enter before him. Inside the room, Steele goes over to an empty chair and takes a seat, nodding at the men sitting on either side of him.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, I apologize for the delay. Lady Lavender is on her way as we speak.” Bronze says. “I hope you all enjoyed the refreshments and I assume you had a chance to look over the information packets we provided. Looking around, I recognize a few of you from previous meetings, but for those of you whom I haven’t had the pleasure of meeting, let me introduce myself. I am Arthur Bronze, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors.” The door of the conference room opens and Lady Lavender enters. She joins Arthur at the head of the table. “And here is our Chairman and CEO, Lady Su Sian Lavender.” Bronze says.

“Hello everyone. I am so sorry to have kept you waiting. I was in a meeting with our Chief Science Officer.” Lavender explains. “We realize your time is precious and we would like to get this meeting started without any further delay.” She nods to Baron Bronze who goes over and turns off the lights in the room. “First I would like to show a brief video highlighting the history of PlantCorp.” Lavender says. The projector starts and a video begins to flicker on the screen.

Meanwhile, Alphonse Brunette sits silently in the passenger seat of a car driven by Mindy Mint, his thoughts lingering on the woman he saw outside the penitentiary. Brunette’s mind flashes back to the first time he saw the young woman.

FLASHBACK
LOCATION: ROOM AT THE PINE CONE INN
JUNE 2005

A young housekeeper pushes her cart full of supplies outside the rooms of the motel. She comes to the door of Monsieur Brunette’s room and knocks, but gets no answer. Taking a key from her pocket she unlocks the door and opens it. Turning to her cart, she picks up some fresh towels and enters the room. The young woman begins humming to herself as she heads to the bathroom. Opening the bathroom door, she is surprised to see Alphonse, wearing only a towel.

“Oh my god!” The housekeeper says, dropping the towels. “I am so sorry, sir. I didn’t think anyone was in here.” Brunette smiles.

“It’s alright.” He says. “If I had to be surprised by anyone, you’d be my first choice.”

“Well, I will just leave these towels and come back later.” She says, bending over to pick up the towels.

“Nonsense.” Brunette says, noticing the young woman’s ample cleavage. “You stay and do your work.”

“Well, we really aren’t supposed to clean the rooms with the guests in them.” She says as she hangs the towels up on a towel rack. Brunette goes over to her.

“I won’t tell anyone.” He whispers. The young woman blushes.

“I have some clean sheets on my cart.” She says, a bit nervous.

“But we haven’t dirtied the ones that are already on the bed.” He says, putting his hand on her arm. The woman turns and looks at Brunette, whose towel around his waist slips off. “Would you look at that, how embarrassing.” The young woman tries not to look down. “You wouldn’t mind getting that for me would you?” Brunette says, a smile coming over his lips. The young woman glances down then quickly back up at Brunette.

“Not at all.” She smiles.

In the car, Brunette’s mind comes back to the present. “You sure are quiet.” Mindy says. Brunette shifts in his seat. “So are you going to tell me who that woman was?” Mindy asks.

“What woman?” Brunette asks coyly.

“Don’t give me that.” Mindy says. “It’s obvious you know her.”

“Knew her, is more like it.” Brunette says.

“An old girlfriend?” Mindy asks.

“Hardly, although I wouldn’t have had a problem if she had been.” He says, looking out the car window.

“So I take it, that it ended badly?” Mindy asks. Brunette gives her a dirty look. “Sorry, I’ll leave it alone.” Brunette’s mind goes back to the day he met and had sex with the young housekeeper.

FLASHBACK
LOCATION: ROOM AT THE PINE CONE INN
JUNE 2005

In his motel room, Brunette lies in bed with the young housekeeper, when suddenly there is a knock on the door. “Are you expecting someone?” Brunette asks the young woman. She shakes her head. He laughs.

“Are you?” She asks. After a few seconds, there is another knock and then a voice calls out.

“Alphonse. Alphonse honey, it is me. It's Amber.” Miss Amber Amber says outside the door of the room. Getting no response, she walks over to the window of the room and tries to look inside, but the curtains are pulled. Inside the room, Alphonse slips on a pair of boxer shorts.

“I will get rid of her, you go in there.” He says, pointing to the bathroom. “And don’t say anything.” He kisses her cheek and she hurries to the bathroom, while outside Amber comes back to the door and knocks again. Realizing that Brunette must be out, she turns to go when the door opens. Brunette appears wearing only the boxer shorts. “Did I wake you, honey?” Amber asks.

“It eez alright.” Brunette says.

“Well are you gonna invite me in?” She says.

“Oui, Oui.” Brunette says.

“I really wanted to see you, Alphonse. It has been forever since…” Miss Amber goes to him and begins to kiss him. Brunette doesn’t respond to her kisses and he pulls away. “What’s wrong, sweetie?” She asks. “Didn’t you miss me?”

“I am sorry. Its just I have sis headache.” He says. “It won’t go away.”

“Oh, well come over to the bed and I will give you a massage. You are under a lot of stress. I can help you relieve it.” Amber says, as she goes over to the bed and sits down. She looks around and sees an article of clothing lying under the nightstand by the bed.

“I just really want to sleep, Amber. I hope joo understand.” Brunette says.

Miss Amber gets up and goes over to the nightstand. “Oh, I think I understand.” She bends over and picks up a black bra. “Where is she?” She asks.

“Where eez who?” Brunette plays dumb.

“The slut that belongs to this, this, thing.” She throws the bra at him. “Where is she?”

“Amber, pleeze calm down.” Brunette says.

Amber begins to search the small room for the owner of the black bra. She looks under the bed. Then goes over to a closet and throws open the door. “I know you were here with someone, Alphonse. Now where the hell is she?”

“Amber, there eez no one here.” Brunette says. “Now calm down.”

“I will not calm down until find her!” Amber shouts. She notices the bathroom door is closed. She goes over to the door.

“Amber.” Brunette says.

“Don’t try and stop me, Al!” Amber says as she throws open the bathroom door. “Where are you, you little whore?” She shouts. She looks around the bathroom and sees no one is in there. Then she sees that the shower curtain is pulled closed. Amber walks over to the shower and pulls back the curtain. “Aha!” She shouts. The half naked housekeeper cowers in the shower, clutching a towel to her bare chest.

“I didn’t know he was married!” The young woman says.

“Get out of there!” Amber says. The housekeeper gets out of the shower and goes into the bedroom. Amber follows her.

“I can’t believe this.” Amber says.

“Amber it eezn’t how it appears.” Brunette says.

“Shut up, Alphonse!” Amber shouts. “You get your clothes on and get out of here!” She tells the young woman, who hurries to gather her clothes and quickly puts them on.

“I am sorry.” The woman says as she is getting dressed. “You didn’t tell me you were married!” She yells at Brunette.

Amber sits down on the bed and laughs. “We aren’t married.” She says.

The confused young woman finishes dressing and runs to the door of the room. “Well whatever you are, I am getting out of here.” She says. She opens the door and runs out, slamming the door behind her. Brunette grabs his head and goes over to a chair and sits down. “I need a drink.” He says as he opens a travel size bottle of vodka.

Brunette’s mind comes back to the present. “Are you hungry?” He asks Mindy.

“Yeah, a little.” She says.

“Stop at that diner on main street and I will buy you lunch.” He says.

“Really?” Mindy says. “Thanks.”

Meanwhile at the Diner, Miss Audrey Summers sits at the counter, drinking a cup of coffee and talking to her Aunt Jojo. “So after looking through a couple of boxes, there it was.” Audrey says. She holds up the diamond engagement ring her brother Jake had lost.

“You better be glad no one saw you in there, Audrey.” Jojo says. “You coulda got into a lot of trouble for being any where near that evidence room.”

“I know, I know.” Audrey says. She slips the ring into her pocket. “I am going to the hospital and let Jake know I found it.” She gets ready to stand up.

“I don’t know if I would do that, if I were you.” Jojo says.

“What? Why?” Audrey asks, remaining seated.

“If Jake knows you found that ring, he is one step closer to asking Alva to marry him.” Jojo says.

“Isn’t that the point?” Audrey asks, confused.

“I don’t think that Jake is ready to get married.” Jojo says.

“You’re just being overprotective. For goodness sakes, Jake and Alva have been together since high school.” Audrey says.

“I know, but you know as well as I do that Jake hasn’t been himself since Alva’s father was killed in that bank robbery…” She stops when she sees Ramona Vermillion coming over to them. “Just promise me that you will wait on letting Jake know that you have the ring.”

“Ok, but I don’t get it.” Audrey says. Officer Vermillion joins them at the counter. “Hi.” Audrey says.

“Coffee?” Jojo asks.

“Yes, please.” Ramona says taking a seat on the stool next to Alva. “So, how are you?” Ramona asks Audrey. Audrey watches Jojo pouring the coffee.

“I’m good.” Audrey smiles, her hand on the ring in her pocket.

TO BE CONTINUED…