Previously…
– In a fit of rage against Brent, Rosie quit her job with the KBPD.
– The fire at Sabrina’s apartment was suspected to be an arson.
– Tori and Landon met up for their first official date, but the peaceful evening was interrupted when they encountered Tori’s ex-coworker, Lucy, in distress.

Inside Bill’s on the Pier, Tori Gray sits across from Landon Esco at a table by the window, as the sunset shines in the sky. The light from outside catches Landon’s brown eyes, and she finds herself noticing how handsome he is, despite his outwardly goofy persona. She feels a smile beginning to toy with the corners of her mouth.

Then, before she can even form words, a male voice slices through the moment.

“Wait a minute!” it calls, and both Tori and Landon — along with many of the other patrons — swivel their heads to see a bearded man, probably in his early 30s and wearing a gray Seahawks T-shirt, at the entry to the restaurant.

Then Tori notices that the person he is barking at is Lucy Champlain, her former coworker. Lucy holds her purse right against her body, looking like she wants to collapse in on herself.

“Stop!” she says in a half-whisper.

Tori pushes out her chair and rushes toward the couple. The host, Antonio, is standing back with indecision, unsure what to do about this strange encounter between a coworker and her significant other. A moment later, Landon lunges out of his own chair in pursuit of her.

“Stop what?” the man asks, jerking back his head with surprise. “Trying to talk to you?”

“Bryce…” Lucy expels a heavy sigh. “Not now.”

“I drove you to work,” he responds. “You can gimme a damn minute–“

“Hey,” Tori exclaims, as she walks briskly to plant her body between the two of them. “Stop.”

Landon stop right behind her. “Yeah. Calm down.”

Lucy’s cheeks turn crimson. “Sorry. I’m sorry. Bryce was only–“

“She, uh–” Bryce rubs his beard. “She took my phone outta the car instead of hers.”

“It’s fine,” Lucy says, though she makes no movement to hand Bryce any phone. “I need to start work, Bryce. I’ll see you later.”

Bryce’s beady eyes dart around for a few seconds. “Fine. I gotta go.”

With a grunt, he spins abruptly and marches out of the restaurant. Tori turns to Lucy, who is clutching her purse to her body like a treasured stuffed animal.

“Are you okay?” Tori asks gently.

“I’m fine,” the strawberry blonde says unconvincingly.

“I mean it,” Tori presses, her voice barely louder than a whisper now. “Are you okay? Is Bryce hurting you?”

—–

“Thanks for letting me invade your space,” Travis Fisher says as he plops down on the beige sectional sofa in his parents’ living room. “I needed to get out of our– well, not even our house. Rosie‘s mom‘s house. Which makes it even more awkward.”

“You don’t have to thank us,” Claire Fisher replies. She sets a bowl of popcorn on the coffee table in front of Travis. “You’re welcome here anytime.”

“And sometimes it’s good to take space,” Tim Fisher adds. He perches on the opposite arm of the sofa. “What you and Rosie are going through is pretty extreme.”

“Yeah.” Travis lets out a loud, burdened sigh. A rerun of Modern Family drones on in the background.

“Is there someone who can get through to her?” Claire asks. “Her brother or mom?”

“I don’t know,” Travis admits. “She’s so obviously lashing out because she’s angry about Gabrielle, which I obviously understand. But quitting her job is like…”

“It’s self-destructive,” Tim completes the thought for him.

“She’s in a lot of pain,” Claire says. “Having to work with Brent can’t be helping that.”

Travis nods. “I get that. I would support her if she wanted to look for another job. But quitting on the spot like that is so reactive. And now she’s mad at me for making that pretty obvious observation.”

Claire moves to Tim’s side, and he wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her near.

“It doesn’t really work to tell someone they’re being irrational,” Claire says. “She knows it’s irrational, but she’s too full of hurt and anger to stop that.”

“Your mom’s right,” Tim comments.

“I know.”

Travis stares at the flatscreen TV, where Phil Dunphy is making some kind of buffoonish proposal to his exasperated wife.

“I’m just worried,” Travis says after a lengthy pause, “that we’re not going to be able to get past this. Or that the next thing she’ll want to quit is me.”

—–

Jason Fisher holds open the door of his home to allow his brother-in-law to step inside.

“Thank you so much for coming by,” Sabrina Gage says from her post near the staircase. The dark-haired woman, dressed in a black cardigan and jeans, leans against the railing.

“Of course,” Brent Taylor says, his tone solemn. “How are you holding up, Sabrina?”

“I’m okay,” she says, though her demeanor belies that claim. “I’m still a little in shock about the fire.”

“I’m sure. I’m sorry they couldn’t recover more of your things.”

Sabrina bows her head in a grateful nod.

“So, do you have new information?” Jason asks, while he closes and locks the door. “I assume you didn’t want to see Sabrina just to check up on her.”

“I do,” Brent says. “The forensic team is certain the fire was the result of arson. There was evidence of an accelerant that quickened the spread from your front door inward.”

Sabrina clasps a hand over her mouth. “Oh my goodness…”

“The KBPD is officially stepping in on the investigation,” Brent continues. “What we need from you is simple: can you think of anyone who might have wanted to harm you? Or send a message?”

A thought that has been germinating in Jason’s mind suddenly sprouts to its full size, and when he looks over at Sabrina, he can tell that she is incubating the same idea.

An expression of dread floats over her face. “You don’t think…”

“I do,” Jason says firmly. “Brent, when we were in Iowa, we ran into this woman — the sister of Sabrina’s ex. What was her name?”

“Carrie. Carrie Galfond,” Sabrina says.

“She expressed animosity toward you?” Brent asks.

“Animosity is putting it kindly,” Jason remarks.

“She, um… she blames me for her brother’s death,” Sabrina explains. “He died in the car accident that put me in my coma for all those years. He was driving, but Carrie is convinced… I don’t know, she thinks it was my fault.”

“That’s a really solid lead to begin with,” Brent tells them. “I’m going to look into this Carrie ASAP. With any luck, we’ll have answers soon.”

—–

Near the entry of Bill’s on the Pier, Landon stands back while Tori speaks with Lucy.

“I don’t want to pressure you,” Tori says softly, “but you can be honest. I was, um… I was in a relationship where my boyfriend — fiancé — tried to control me in a lot of ways. It didn’t get physical until the end, but he wanted to separate me from my family and my support system and…”

Lucy widens her eyes. “It’s not like that.”

Tori takes a beat, knowing that pressing the issue won’t help. “Okay. But if you ever need anything, I’m here.”

Lucy’s only response is a nervous glare.

“Are you working ’til close?” Tori asks, hoping to ground the conversation.

Nevertheless, Lucy looks nervous as she responds, “Yeah. I should get… you know…”

“Go ahead,” Tori tells her. “Check in if you need anything, okay?”

“Uh, I will,” Lucy says, though her words vibrate with anxiety. “Good to see you.” She darts off toward the swinging doors that lead to the kitchen.

As Lucy departs, Landon takes a step toward Tori.

“What was that?” he asks.

“We used to work in the kitchen together,” Tori explains. “I’ve noticed some stuff… well, her boyfriend seems kind of…”

“I get it,” Landon says with an insistent nod. “Have you seen anything that got you really worried?”

“Yeah.” Tori glances over at the host, who is busy handling a telephone call. She lowers her voice. “She’s had some bruises, and I’ve seen him act like that before.”

“That’s pretty telling.”

“I know. But I can’t do much about it, even if it’s obvious something is up.”

“You could,” Landon says, letting his words tail off into the air.

“What do you mean?”

“I’m kind of a P.I. now. What if I did some investigating? See what their situation is like when you can’t see them?”

“You would do that?”

Landon takes a step closer, squaring his body towards hers. “Obviously. I don’t want anyone else to go through what you went through with Zane.”

“That was my own fault,” Tori says.

“No, it wasn’t. He manipulated the hell out of you. And if we can help your friend before she goes through something similar — why wouldn’t we?”

Tori takes a moment, then says, “If you’re really willing, that would be awesome. I’m worried about Lucy.”

“Then so am I,” he says. “Now, should we get back to our dinner?”

“We should. I’m sorry this interrupted us.”

“Don’t apologize,” Landon tells her. “If you’re worried about your friend, I am, too.”

“Thanks, Landon,” she says, before taking his hand and leading him back to their table.

—–

“Don’t think like that,” Claire says, as soon as Travis expresses regrets about his and Rosie’s marriage.

“It’s hard not to,” the younger man replies, still staring at the TV.

“I know it’s tough,” Tim says, and he scoots closer so that he can place a comforting hand on his son’s leg. “But you and Rosie have gotten through a lot already. You’re strong. You can get through this.”

Travis drops his head, expressing his uncertainty. “I just wish Aunt Molly and Uncle Brent hadn’t done this. Even helping them with Gabrielle feels like… like I’m helping the enemy or something.”

“They’re not the enemy,” Tim says.

“Your dad is right,” Claire adds. “I’ve had my issues with your Uncle Brent, but he and Molly are not the bad guys in this situation.”

Travis looks up at her.

“The person who did this is Loretta,” Claire continues. “And she’s going to stand trial soon. She’s the one to blame for this.”

“I hate her,” Travis says, before letting out a loud exhale. “She and James bought me from Kathleen and– I’m glad I wound up with you guys, but she’s been messing with me my entire life.”

“She’s going to prison,” Tim says. “No jury on Earth is going to find that woman not guilty.”

“I don’t know about that,” Travis replies. “But regardless, Loretta needs to pay for what she’s done.”

END OF EPISODE 1234

Will Loretta actually face consequences for what she has done?
Is Carrie the one who set the fire in Sabrina’s apartment?
What can Tori and Landon do if they want to help Lucy?
Talk about all this and more in the comments below!

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