Previously…
– Sarah and Matt told Tori they won’t be contributing financially to her and Zane’s wedding.
– When Tori told Zane about her parents’ decision, he suggested that they elope instead of throwing a wedding for people who don’t want to celebrate them.
– Sarah learned from a contact that Sonja had been involved in a traffic stop in Arizona. She shared the news with Tim, who made plans to travel there in order to learn the truth about her child, TJ. 

Zane Tanaka‘s fingers drag the zipper across the top of the backpack. Its teeth cinch together, one locking into the next, until the bag is sealed.

“Guess that’s it,” the broad-shouldered, thick-chested man announces as he stands up straight.

“It’ll be fine,” his fiancée says from a few feet away, where she stands in the living area of their compact apartment. A home renovation show plays on the TV.

“It’s not fine. I can’t believe no one would cover my shift tonight.”

“It’s one shift. Don’t stress about it too much.”

“A night shift. The worst. And it’s keeping me from whisking you away and marrying you.”

“I’ll be here when you’re done,” Tori tells him. “I mean, I’ll probably be asleep, but I’ll be here.”

Zane approaches and rests his forearms atop her shoulders. “That’s where I wanna be. Curled up in bed with you.”

“It’s only a few hours, really. Think of it that way. And then…”

“And then we can hit the road and make this official!” He leans in and presses his nose to hers. “Just don’t spill the beans, okay?”

Tori scrunches up her face. “Who am I going to tell?”

“I don’t know. Your family.”

“We said we’d keep it a secret until we’re actually married. So I will.”

“Promise?”

“Promise. I’ll start packing while you’re at work.”

Zane gives her a peck on the lips before returning to the door, where his backpack sits on the floor. He picks it up and slips his arms through the straps. 

“I’ll try my best not to wake you up when I get in,” he says. “Love you.”

“Love you, too.” Tori watches as he lets himself out of the apartment. The door creaks as it closes behind him. She settles onto the sofa and picks up the bowl of popcorn resting on the coffee table. Just as the results of the renovation are about to be revealed on the television, her phone begins vibrating, clattering against the tabletop as a call comes in.

Tori leans forward to see who is calling and reacts with surprise when she spies the name on the screen.

—–

“I thought it was supposed to be warm here,” Travis Fisher says as he turns up the heat inside the parked car.

“It’s a desert,” his wife replies. “Blazing hot during the day, freezing cold at night.”

The spouses sit in the front seat of a rented Toyota Corolla, which is parked on one side of a wide, flat street in a quiet area of Scottsdale, Arizona. The sun has slinked down behind the horizon, casting darkness over the area. In the backseat, Travis’s father sits, with his leg thumping up and down anxiously as he stares out the window.

“I can’t thank you two enough for coming with me,” Tim says. He allows his gaze to flicker toward the front seat for a moment before returning it to its target across the street. “I know you have a lot going on–“

“My mom couldn’t be happier to have a night with Gabrielle,” Rosie tells him with a reassuring laugh. “And having a police presence with you could make all the difference here.”

“I hope so,” Tim agrees. 

“I can’t believe you might have another kid,” Travis says. 

Tim raises his eyebrows. “You’re not the only one. This wasn’t exactly what I expected for this stage of my life.”

He is about to say something further when the house across the street grabs his attention again. But this time, he is not simply observing the stucco structure with its terracotta tile roof. This time, he watches as a woman with light brown hair, wearing a denim jacket and olive-colored pants, exits the home and goes straight to the Chevrolet SUV parked in the driveway.

“That must be whoever lives here,” Travis says.

“And that’s definitely the SUV from the traffic stop,” Rosie adds. “So Sonja at least borrowed that woman’s car.”

Travis turns in his seat to face Tim. “Are you sure you don’t want to stop her and ask if she knows Sonja?”

“There’s too much of a chance she’ll tip Sonja off,” Rosie says.

The trio watches in silence as the woman backs the SUV out of the driveway and disappears down the street.

Rosie reaches for the handle on her door. “Is it time?”

“Let’s go,” Tim says. “Travis, keep the car running just in case we need to go after her.”

Tim and his daughter-in-law step out of the vehicle and cross the street. 

“You stay over there,” she tells him, pointing to a shrub about ten feet from the front door, “so you’re out of sight at first. I’ll say your name when it’s time.”

“If she’s even here,” Tim says.

“Only one way to find out.”

Tim takes his place behind the tall shrub, and Rosie — clad in her King’s Bay PD uniform for effect — rings the doorbell. Although he tries to peer through the greenery, Tim’s angle and the darkness combine to make it nearly impossible for him to see anything but part of Rosie’s back as he waits. 

But then he hears Rosie call out, “Police! Open up!”

There is another tense pause, as if the whole world has gulped in a big breath and is refusing to let it out — and then he hears the unmistakable sounds of a door being unlocked and opened.

“Sonja Kahele?” Rosie asks.

“Yes… What can I do for you?” the female voice asks. Tim recognizes it instantly.

“Just one thing. Tim!”

His whole body trembling, Tim steps out from his hiding spot. He and Sonja lock eyes as he approaches the front door.

—–

Tori grabs her iPhone and answers the call.

“Sam?” she asks, slightly concerned at receiving a call from her cousin out of the blue. Although the women are in a much more peaceful place than they were back in high school — Tori still cringes at the memories of how she would go along with her friends’ teasing and bullying of her more awkward, bookish cousin — they don’t often talk outside of family gatherings. Her first thought is that there must have been some kind of emergency. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah. Everything is fine. I know I don’t usually call you. Sorry if I worried you.”

“It’s okay. I just thought…” Tori shakes her head as she stands from the sofa. “What’s up?”

“This is kind of last minute,” Samantha explains, “but I’m having drinks with Spencer at the Wild Lady tonight. Natalie‘s doing stuff with Peter and Bree, so he asked if I wanted to catch up, and we thought…”

“Oh. Wow. Thanks for letting me know.” Tori is surprised how happy it makes her to receive the invitation. She can’t even remember the last time someone besides Zane or her parents asked her to do something social that wasn’t a major event or holiday; it might have been when Travis and Rosie had people over to meet baby Gabrielle, way back last year.

“Is Zane around?” Samantha asks, a note of hesitance apparent in her voice. 

Tori isn’t sure whether to interpret that as a question or the start of a warning not to bring him, but she quickly answers, “He just left for work, actually. He has the night shift tonight. So I’m solo.”

“Wow, that worked out well. Do you want to meet us at the bar in about 30 minutes?”

“I’d love to. Did you invite Travis and Rosie? Or do they not want to come because of Spencer?”

“It’s a moot point, actually,” Samantha says. “They’re in Arizona with Dad.”

“Oh. What for?”

“I’ll explain when we meet up. It’s kind of crazy. But I’ll see you soon!”

“Yeah! Thanks for calling,” Tori says, feeling consumed by a bright warmth at the prospect of getting out of the apartment and seeing her cousins. “See you in 30.”

She hangs up and, forgetting all about the renovated home on the TV, scurries into the bedroom to pick out something to wear.

—–

Sonja gasps with horror as Tim approaches her and Rosie.

“What are you doing here?” Sonja asks. “What’s this all about?”

“We need to speak with you,” Rosie says authoritatively. 

Sonja grasps the door, ready to slam it closed at any moment. Her entire body seems like a tightly coiled spring.

“What is this about?” she repeats. “Do you have a warrant for something?”

Rosie and Tim trade a look.

“No,” Rosie admits. “This is a personal visit.”

Sonja scans the officer up and down, and then realization washes over her face. “You’re that woman — the one Travis was seeing…”

“This is my daughter-in-law,” Tim explains. “Officer Rosie Jimenez. She came to make sure I actually had a chance to speak with you.”

“About what?” The lump in Sonja’s throat is visible as she swallows hard.

“TJ,” Tim says. “My sister is a P.I., Sonja. She’s done her research. I know he’s my son. He is, isn’t he?”

Sonja does not answer. Instead, she moves sharply and attempts to shove the door closed. Rosie reacts with lightning-fast instincts and uses a foot and an elbow to block her from doing so.

“We’re not leaving until you tell me the truth,” Tim says.

“No.” Sonja shakes her head insistently. “You have to leave.”

“I’m not leaving until I get the truth,” Tim insists.

“You’re putting us all in danger by being here,” she says, her voice dripping with desperation. “TJ, and me, and even yourself. You have to go. Please.”

—–

After she hangs up with Tori, Samantha immediately dials another number. She paces back and forth in the living room of Tim’s house, where she has been staying since breaking up with Jaq, until there is an answer on the other end of the line.

“Do you have an update?” Diane Bishop asks, not bothering with a greeting.

“Tori’s in. She’s meeting Spencer and me at the Wild Lady in half-an-hour.”

“Thank you for doing this. It means a lot to your Aunt Sarah and Uncle Matt.”

“I feel a little funny lying to her,” Samantha admits.

“It’s not a lie. You and Spencer do want to see her. You’re just… omitting some information about the why and how.”

“Like how I knew Zane would be stuck working tonight.”

“Having some pull at KBAY comes in useful now and then,” Diane tells her daughter. “Now go get ready and see if you two can talk some sense into your cousin…”

“…before she makes the biggest mistake of her life by marrying Zane,” Samantha says.

—–

Travis watches from inside the rental car as his wife blocks the door to keep Sonja from slamming it closed. It flashes through his mind that Sonja could be armed and dangerous — that isn’t something he ever would have considered before his father told them about TJ and about Sonja being on the run, but now it occurs to Travis that they don’t really know anything about this woman at all.

He thinks about whether he should hop out of the car and rush over to help, but he sees Rosie covertly move one hand to the holster at her waist. She seems so self-assured and confident, even just through her body language. He wishes he could hear what is going on, whether Tim is having any luck getting through to Sonja.

“Just let this get figured out, and keep Rosie and my dad safe,” he whispers to no one in particular as he continues watching the encounter. 

—–

Sonja’s lower lip quivers as her pleading eyes stare back at Tim and Rosie.

“Is this because of Loretta Ragan?” Tim asks, careful to maintain a gentle tone, as he senses that they are on the verge of losing her completely. 

Although she opens her mouth to respond, Sonja closes it again without speaking. 

“You named your son Timothy,” he continues. “Because you wanted him to have some connection to me, right?”

“Tim,” she says weakly. “I can’t…”

“Forget about me — it isn’t fair for you to keep TJ from his father. He’s going to have questions for you someday.”

“I just want to keep him safe,” Sonja says. “My mother is gone. That little boy — he’s all I have.”

“We can keep you safe,” Rosie chimes in. “If you trust us…”

“I was always on your side, Sonja,” Tim says. “Even after Loretta forced you to read those test results and ruin my brother’s wedding — I believed you. I understood that Loretta had threatened your mom. I was ready to give our relationship another chance. But you skipped town–“

“I had to,” Sonja replies. “I had to.”

“But you can’t run forever. Your son can’t grow up like that.”

Her gaze darts nervously between Tim and Rosie. “I don’t have a choice.”

“Yes, you do,” Rosie says. “We promise.”

Tim reaches out and grabs Sonja’s hands. He feels her flinch, ready to pull away, but he holds firm, enough that she accepts the touch.

“Can I meet him? Please?” he asks.

Tears welling in her eyes, Sonja looks down at the ground.

“Please, let me meet him,” Tim urges her.

“We’ll protect you,” Rosie says. “We can all do this together.”

“Let me come inside and meet my son,” Tim says, his voice brimming with emotion. “Please.”

END OF EPISODE 1116

Has Tim finally gotten through to Sonja?
Will Samantha and Spencer be able to sway Tori?
Talk about all this and more in the comments below!

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