Previously…
– Brent told Molly that, in spite of their night together, he also loves Claire and needs to proceed carefully.
– Trevor was furious to learn that Alex had slipped out of their home to go see Jason late at night. Alex insisted that it was a setup and went to the hospital for a drug test, hoping to prove that he had been drugged.
– After waking up with Alex and uncertain of what had happened, Jason claimed that a flat tire had made him late to the custody hearing. When he arrived, however, the other side claimed to have crucial new information…

“Your Honor, while it’s wonderful that Mr. Fisher made it to court today,” Elly Vanderbilt says, “we’ve just come into possession of some information that you need to see before this hearing proceeds.”

All eyes in the courtroom are fixed on the red-headed attorney. At the opposite table, Jason Fisher feels his heart thudding harder inside his chest. What information could the opposing team possibly have?

He notices how confident Spencer Ragan and Natalie Bishop suddenly appear to be, too.

“What kind of information?” the judge asks, lowering her wire-rimmed spectacles.

Elly picks up a tablet. “Our private investigator just sent us time-stamped photos that contradict Mr. Fisher’s story about having had a flat tire this morning.”

The car, Jason realizes with horror. He knew it was a gamble driving his own car here after coming up with the story about having gotten a flat tire, but he didn’t want to wait for another vehicle, and he assumed that he could tell anyone who questioned it that the tire had been quickly replaced.

“Did you know they had a P.I.?” Jason whispers to one of his attorneys.

“No. Of course not,” the woman admits quietly.

“Do you have the photos ready to submit into evidence?” the judge asks.

Elly hesitates briefly. “We’ll need time to print and label them. But I have them right here — I can show you.” She glances at one of the more senior attorneys for guidance, but he simply indicates that she should continue.

“When Mr. Fisher called to say that he was late for this hearing,” Elly says, “he was still at his home — where he had an overnight guest.”

Jason hears a series of gasps ripple through the courtroom. His own mother, seated in the row just behind him, stares at Jason with confusion, as if a series of looks might be able to explain this accusation.

“An overnight guest?” the judge asks.

Elly nods. “Mr. Fisher was at a bar called The Wild Lady last night–”

“So were you!” Jason blurts out. “I had one drink.”

“Mr. Fisher,” the judge warns him with a stern glare.

“I’m sorry,” he says contritely. “Your Honor, I attended the opening of a new restaurant and bar that family friends — one of whom happens to be Ms. Vanderbilt’s father — opened last night. That has absolutely nothing to do with this morning.”

“Did you have a flat tire this morning, Mr. Fisher?” the judge asks with a frown.

“Your Honor, Mr. Fisher is not under oath,” his lawyer cuts in before Jason can answer. “We’ve yet to see any of these alleged photographs.”

The judge lets out a sigh. “I’d like to meet with both parties’ counsel in my chambers to sort this out. We’ll reconvene in 30 minutes’ time.”

With a rap of her gavel, she lifts the spell of silence that has overtaken the courtroom. People begin to shuffle around and mutter to one another.

Paula grasps Jason’s sleeve over the railing. “What are they talking about?” she asks her son.

Jason swallows the lump that has formed in his throat.

“Something really weird happened last night,” he admits in a barely audible voice. “But I can’t tell you about it here.”

On the eighteenth floor of Winston Tower, Molly Taylor sits behind the oversized desk in her large office at Objection Designs. Her head swims with thoughts of waking up with Brent this morning — and his regret and hasty exit soon afterward. She really thought last night was a turning point for them, a new beginning, but now she has no idea what to expect.

At the sound of a soft rap on the open door, she looks up from the work she has been plodding through. “I didn’t think you’d be in today.”

Trevor Brooks strolls toward her, a file folder in his hand. “I woke up feeling better, and getting out of the house sounded nice.”

She cocks an eyebrow. “That doesn’t sound good.”

“Rough morning,” Trevor admits as he places the folder on the desk in front of her. “Those are my tweaks to the Conviction website copy.”

“Thank you,” Molly says. She quickly opens the folder to glance at its contents and then stands up. “Is everything all right with you and Alex? Chase?”

“Chase is with my dad,” Trevor says, but he wavers before adding, “and Alex is at the hospital.”

“What? Is he okay?”

“He’s having some blood drawn.” Trevor chews on his lower lip for a moment. “Have you heard from anyone at the courthouse yet?”

She shakes her head. “I haven’t wanted to bother Jason. My mom said she would call me once the hearing was over.”

“It sounds like it might’ve gotten off to a rocky start.”

“How so?”

Trevor crosses to the sitting area, where a pair of midcentury chairs upholstered in a stone-colored twill face a glass coffee table and a sofa. He picks up a candle from the table and smells it.

“Alex slipped out of the house last night,” he explains, “after Chase and I were asleep. He says Jason sent him all these texts — he even showed me the texts–”

“What kind of texts?” Molly asks.

“They were weird. Like– Jason was asking Alex to come over, saying that he needed help. It seemed like he was freaking out.”

“Is Jason okay?” Alarm spikes in Molly’s voice, and her eyes flare wider.

“It sounded like he was fine, or– like that wasn’t the problem.”

“What do you mean? What happened when Alex went over there?”

“That’s the thing,” Trevor says. “I don’t even know what to believe right now.”

—–

In the corridor outside the courtroom, Jason finishes recounting the strange tale of last night and this morning to his mother.

“Who would do a thing like that?” Paula questions.

Jason grits his teeth as he watches Spencer and Natalie exit the courtroom.

“I have a pretty good idea,” he says.

Paula turns to see her grandson and his wife. “Spencer wouldn’t do something like that to you.”

“You don’t know that,” Jason counters. “Think about who raised him. And even if he were above it — you know what Natalie is capable of.”

Paula’s gaze lingers on Spencer and Natalie, her concern growing.

“I can’t believe they were having me followed,” Jason says. “I should’ve had Sarah tailing them this whole time.”

“You can’t do anything about that now,” Paula says, placing a hand on his arm in hopes of steadying him. “Let’s just try and stay calm. Losing your cool isn’t going to help matters.”

Jason exhales heavily, not looking at all convinced that that is the proper course of action.

—–

With the recess underway, Claire exits the courthouse. It is a mild day, with the sun peeking through the clouds and the sky a dull blue up above. She breathes in the fresh air as she dials a number and holds her cell phone to her face.

“Hi,” Brent’s voice greets her over the line.

“Hey,” she says brightly. “I texted you earlier, but–”

“I overslept. Sorry. I’ve been racing around all morning. I’m finally at the station now. How’s the hearing? Is it over already?”

“It hasn’t even started,” Claire tells him. “Long story — Jason was running late, and now the lawyers are all in the judges’ chambers. Your niece seems very confident in her case.”

“Really? I thought she was just supposed to be supporting Spencer and Natalie’s legal team.”

“She really took charge this morning.”

“Elly definitely has a new attitude since she came back to King’s Bay,” Brent says. “I guess I’m happy she’s so self-assured about her work.”

“Spencer and Natalie seem pleased so far, too. It isn’t looking too great for Jason, though.” Claire kicks a pebble over the pavement. “What happened this morning? Did your alarm not go off?”

There is a barely perceptible pause over the line.

“I must’ve snoozed my alarm,” he responds. “How was your overnight shift? You must be wiped.”

“I’ll sleep once the hearing is over. I’m running on caffeine right now. But I’d love to see you tonight, if you’re free.”

“I might actually have to put in a long day here… but I’ll let you know later. Things are a little hectic.”

“I completely understand,” she says cheerily. “Anyway, I should get back inside. Just wanted to touch base. I love you.”

“Love you, too,” Brent says, and as he hangs up the call, guilt stings every inch of his person. He hates lying to Claire, and he knows that what happened between him and Molly last night was wrong — but he is having trouble thinking about anything else today.

“You’ve got to figure this out, and fast,” he tells himself as he places his iPhone back on his desk at the police station.

—–

“A P.I.?” Tim asks as he pulls Spencer around a corner to speak privately.

“It’s the first I’m hearing of it,” Spencer tells him.

Tim furrows his brow skeptically.

“I’m serious,” Spencer says. “I wish I’d thought of it.”

“So your lawyers just hired a P.I. without asking you?” Tim questions. “Or at least without informing you?”

“That’s what Elly said. She’s a better lawyer than I expected, to be honest with you. She’s pretty badass.”

“It still seems convenient to me.”

“What does?”

“That this P.I. no one knew existed until this morning just happened to catch Jason in a compromising situation,” Tim says.

Spencer recoils. “What, now you want him to win? You don’t want your own grandson to be raised by his actual parents?”

“I didn’t say that.” Tim holds up both hands to calm his son. “But I don’t want to see my brother unfairly eviscerated, either.”

“It isn’t unfair if it’s true. He’s the one who decided to drag us to court. That means he gets put under a microscope, too.”

“I know that.”

“I’m going to go check in with Natalie,” Spencer says. “I’ll see you back in the courtroom.”

Tim feels the unspoken but unmistakable chill radiating off Spencer as he moves back around the corner.

—–

“Alex thinks someone drugged them?” Molly asks with shock. She is now seated on the sofa across from Trevor.

“I know it sounds insane,” Trevor says, “but Alex isn’t a liar.”

“No, he definitely isn’t. And he and Jason wouldn’t…”

Trevor continues to turn over the candle in his hands as he lets out a loud breath. “But he still left the house late at night without letting me know. That says a lot about his priorities.”

“He was worried about Jason,” Molly says. “Rightfully so. Jason’s had a really rough year.”

“I know that. And I love that they’re such close friends — I do. But it rubs me the wrong way.”

Molly nods with understanding. “Of course. Just remember that that’s one issue to work out between you and Alex — one relatively small issue. This other situation…”

“…is next-level.”

“Yeah.”

Trevor sets down the candle on a stack of fashion photography books that rest atop the coffee table.

“If Alex is telling the truth,” he says slowly, “that means someone set up this entire situation to knock them out, drug them, and — what? Make it look like they spent the night together?”

“Don’t forget who we’re dealing with here,” Molly says. “There aren’t many things Natalie Bishop won’t do when she’s desperate.”

“This would be a new low, even for her.”

“And yet it isn’t that hard to believe, is it?” Molly asks. All Trevor can do is shake his head in disbelief.

—–

The air is taut with tension as everyone returns to the courtroom. Paula stations herself just behind Jason again, and she watches her son shift nervously from one foot to the other as his lawyers exit the judge’s chambers and approach him. They all confer quietly as, on the other side of the room, Elly and the other attorneys do the same with Spencer and Natalie.

The judge files back into the room and returns to the bench. Once she does, everyone takes their seats.

“That was a very illuminating meeting, so thank you,” she announces. “It’s helped me come to a decision.”

Jason feels his mother’s supportive touch on his shoulder blade.

“Ms. Vanderbilt,” the judge says, “with regards to your motion to have Mr. Fisher’s suit dismissed…”

Jason’s stomach twists painfully, as her pause seems to drag on forever.

“I’ve decided to grant it,” the judge continues. “Mr. Fisher, I don’t know what was going on with you and your overnight guest — nor do I particularly care — but your tardiness and your lie about a flat tire have convinced me that you are in no position to take custody of Peter from his biological parents.”

“No,” Jason says sharply, springing to his feet. “They set me up!”

A flurry of hands reach out to calm him, but he resists.

“They drugged me!” he rails. His index finger juts out toward Spencer and Natalie.

“We did not drug you,” Natalie says dismissively.

The judge raps her gavel. “Case dismissed.”

“I’m going to prove it!” Jason shouts. He watches Spencer and Natalie quickly file out of the room.

Paula, Tim, and Claire all crowd around him.

“You have to stay calm,” Paula tells him.

“I can’t be calm,” Jason says, breathing hard. “Not after what they did to me.”

—–

Elly quickly says her goodbyes and hurries to her car. She knows that the clock is ticking, and all she wants is to be done with this.

She starts the engine but doesn’t even let her iPhone connect to the Bluetooth system before placing the call.

“It’s done,” she says. “The judge dismissed the case.”

She listens for a moment, squeezing her eyes closed as a reminder to maintain her patience.

“Yes, I said it came from me,” she confirms. “They all bought it. Jason’s suit was thrown out. And now this can all be over.”

Her hands chatter slightly as she waits for the call to end.

END OF EPISODE 989

Has Jason really lost Peter forever?
Will Alex convince Trevor of the truth?
Who was Elly calling after leaving court?
Talk about all this and more in the comments!

 

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