12-27-2016 (Tuesday)

Jason tells Sam that he and Curtis are no longer convinced that Julian was behind the bombing.  They think whoever did this was trying to set up Julian, parking the van right where it would easily be seen.  Sam asks who would do that; Jason suggests a mutual enemy of Julian and Sonny’s (since the finger was pointed at Sonny).  She asks about the pawnshop owner, who Jason says is “cagey” – he says he’s the only employee but seems to know more than he is letter on.  Sam offers to do a background check.  Curtis calls Jason; the "owner" closed up shop early and took off (so the shop is unattended).  Curtis is going to follow him; Jason leaves to check out the shop.  

Julian’s assistant walks into a room, with an “update” on Julian – he tells some unseen person that it appears he and his ex-wife may have resumed relations, as he is no longer convalescing at Ava’s.  He tells the man they have other means, than resorting to violence, to assure Julian’s compliance and silence; he says he will start on that right away.  Alexis wakes with a start when she has a dream that Julian got up the stairs and was sitting on the edge of her bed.  She comes down stairs irritated when Julian starts yelling at her from downstairs; she tells him it’s bad enough he’s moved in on her, she shouldn’t have to clock in on a schedule.  He says he is trying to support her; he then brings up her drinking again.  She gets annoyed.  She tells him she doesn’t interfere in his magazine, or the crimes he commits; he denies committing crimes and she points out all that he’s done.  She says you can’t try to kill your wife and still love her; she says that’s delusional.  He questions again, why she kissed him last night.  She was just giving him a tiny taste of how he treats her, she says.  A man knocks on the door asking to speak with Julian; she asks if he works for him, as she doesn’t recognize him.  The man says he works WITH Julian, not for him; she lets him in.  Curtis is watching; it’s the man from the pawnshop.  Curtis comments, “now that’s weird.”  

Lucas sits down at the table with Sam after Jason leaves; she tries to show him a pic of Danny and he sees the plastic bag picture.  He says they need a new translator because those symbols don’t mean anything close to “GOOD TASTE” in Chinese; not even close, he says.  Sam is intrigued.  She asks him to translate it; he says he’s just a beginner, but it seems to be saying “reincarnation.”  Sam is further intrigued.

Jason gets into the shop and snoops around; Curtis hears a report of an intruder at the pawnshop, over the police scanner.  The man asks Alexis to give he and Julian a minute to talk shop; Julian asks how they knew he was there.  The man says his not informing them that he was relocating, when he saw him at his sister’s the other day, doesn’t look good; he says their boss has asked him to show him something they’ve been keeping from him.  He pulls up a video on his phone; it’s footage of him getting run over by Alexis.  Julian wondered why the footage from the bar security camera was unusable; he says they got there before and took all the good bits.  They say they don’t want the truth to come out either; the man pats Julian on the cheek and says he knows nothing is going to happen, because Julian won’t let it.  The man goes back to the pawnshop, where he tells the police that he has done an inventory and nothing is missing.  Jason comes back to the diner with Curtis; he sits the model ship down (that he stole from the pawnshop) – the one the “owner” was so cautious about protecting in our last episode.   

Laura asks to sit down with Anna at a table in the Metro Court; she wants to follow-up with her about Valentin.  Anna asks what that whole Christmas thing was; Laura says mind-games.  She adds, it’s time they neutralize him.  Anna lets her know she is working with the WSB to build a case against him; she says they need time.  Laura says she doesn’t have time; he has already murdered her son and is raising her granddaughter.  Lulu is going to fight for custody, and she’s afraid what Lulu might do if the court rules against her; so, she then says, if they rule against her, she will kill Valentin herself.  Anna says to give her a chance first to prove that Valentin is unfit.  She assures Laura that will someone like Valentin there is always something to be found.  Anna later discusses this photograph with Andre; she says it proves he was there at that time… he says not necessarily – maybe he got it from someone else that knew her back in the day.  She doesn’t buy it because she says this is too personal for him.  She tells him about her memory of the whistling; the same tune that Valentin taught his daughter.  She asks Andre if he will hypnotize her.  

Laura asks how Olivia enjoyed her visit with Rocco and his new dog; Lulu says Olivia rolls with the punches, and adds that Leo loves “Yankie.”  Lulu mentions Charlotte; Laura says she found a good family attorney.  Sadly, she says, the attorney tells her their chances are not as good as they think.  Laura tries to assure her that Anna is working on a case against Valentin; and the WSB is going to build enough information to throw him in a hole so deep he won’t be able to crawl out of it.  Lulu says she honestly believes that Charlotte is in danger with that man and she cannot wait another day; she has to fight now.  One way or another, she says, she will win.  Laura tells Lulu, whatever she decides, she has her back.  

Nina hears Valentine scream; he has just discovered the old photo of Anna missing.  He mentions it non-chalantly; Nina offers to help look for it and asks who it’s a picture of.  He doesn’t tell her, but he does say it’s a “relic” a “memento of the past” to remind him how far he has come.  He says it just had sentimental value; Nina says she can’t live with him just dropping hints and then pulling back.  She needs him to trust her, asking don’t they need to take a leap of faith and trust each other in order to have a relationship.  He says, despite a lifetime of learning not to trust people, he is making strides in trusting her.  But he is not sure he can tell her about the photograph.  He just says there was someone he trusted that he shouldn’t have.  He let her see the real him, and she made him pay a deep price; Charlotte is the only person he has trusted since.  Nina says that she hopes he can eventually let her in; then she says she needs to go make plans for J’s wedding.  A beautiful song plays at the end of this episode.