Mace And A Net

Stephanie hands something to Phillip, "I want you to look at this and then tell me if you still want to hire me."

John wonders why Nicole gives a damn if he gets along with Brady. "Because I care about both of you," says Nicole.

EJ thinks he and Brady should talk. Brady says, "Let me guess the first item on the agenda — Nicole."

Maggie wonders if Melanie might have killed her father. Bo tells her there are all kinds of scenarios. Hope comes back into the kitchen, "Whatever the case, their things are gone. Melanie has left town and taken Nick."

Nick pours drinks and suggests a hot bath. Melanie doesn't want the drink. Nick chops the ice as Melanie flashes back to the murder. He hands her the drink and toasts, "To my wife..." Melanie stares. Nick asks, "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." Melanie shakes her head. Dead bugs fall out.

Bo answers Maggie's door and finds Max and Chelsea. Bo fills them in on the situation. "OMG," says Max, "If Melanie is running you must think that proves she did it."

Woozy nutty Nick tells Melanie to drink, "Doctor's orders." He takes a few more pills.

Melanie asks, "Are you sure you should mix that with alcohol?"

"What are you," asks Nick, "the nagging wife?" Melanie is silent. "I was just joking," says Nick.

"Bo Brady told me a nagging wife is no joke, " says Melanie, "I don't think we should be running. I want to go back." Nick vetoes that idea.

John bristles, "Are you gonna tell me how to live my life?"

"You sound a little prickly," says Nicole, "Reminds me of your son. But I don't want to talk about him. I want to talk about you. How many friends do you have."

"Real or imaginary," asks John.

"Maybe you could spend some free time with Brady," says Nicole, "You could get to know each other and share a bag-o-pills or maybe do a line or two. " John doesn't think Brady will be satisfied with a father who is just going through the motions. Nicole uses her trump card, "Marlena would love for you to do this and maybe love you again."

"Ahhh," says John, "I see what you are up to... emotional manipulation."

"Not really," says Nicole, "I just think you and Brady together would be the poster boys for 'better living through chemistry.' "

Brady thinks EJ is being territorial. EJ thinks Brady agitated Nicole with his visit. Brady agrees to keep his distance but would like to meet Johnny. EJ doesn't want Brady looking to Nicole for solutions to his problems, "That would be like asking Jabba the Hut for advice on how to diet. But you should know I get along with John quite well, so if I can help, I'll be happy to." EJ leaves.

Brady stares and mocks, "'Stay away from my woman. Let me help you with my dad.' You're a DiMera all right."

Bo and Hope ask Max if he has any idea where Melanie and Nick might have gone. "I don't have a clue," says Max.

"True," says Bo, "But do you know where Melanie and Nick might have gone?"

Max says in the park he told her Nick was in love with her, "It weirded her out."

"How could you tell," asks Bo.

"If she felt creepy to know he was in love with her, why would she go off with him," asks Max, "It doesn't make any sense."

"If it doesn't make sense," says Bo, "That doesn't prove anything... except that you're watching DOOL. "

Nick finishes his drink and takes Melanie's. Melanie casually gets up and strolls over to the door, "I'm just gonna go for a little walk." She opens the door.

Nick hustles over and slams the door, "Sorry, Mel. I just can't let you do that."

Phillip looks at what Melanie handed him, Very impressive."

Phillip says her resume doesn't matter and once she starts she will be evaluated based on her performance. Stephanie is intimidated, "If you have to fire me will you be nice about it?"

"That's what I like," says Phillip, "A woman with confidence. " He takes her hand. You don't need to be nervous."

Bo gets off the phone and says Nick got his prescription refilled a couple of hours ago. Maggie flips out, "I knew something was wrong but I didn't do anything about it. I had to get to work. There is something you need to see."

Nick chains the door and gives her his Freddy Krueger look, "It's been long enough they might know you are gone. Your face could be on the news by now. I will do the thinking for both of us."

"That's a good idea," says Melanie, "I had a thought of my own once, but fortunately it was only temporary. " She apologizes for being a basket case. Nick suggests a drink. Melanie declines but says she will take him up on the bath. She grabs her purse and heads into the bathroom. Nick asks why she needs a purse to take a bath.

Agent Not-So-Smart asks, "Would you believe... I want to launder my money?"

Nutso Nick says, "Before you go, give me your phone."

John knocks on Marlena's door. Brady answers. He tells John he's staying there, and Marlena isn't there. John starts to leave. Brady asks, "Can we try this again?"

EJ comes back to the mansion and tells Nicole he was just with Brady, "But I don't want to talk about it. I'm sick of talking." Face sucking ensues.

Bo looks at the note. Maggie tells him she found it on the floor in the bathroom. Bo reads, "I... saw... you... at... the... cem... cem... e..."

"That's good, Bo," says Hope, "You can do it. Sound it out."

Nick tells Melanie he wants her phone so he can check to see if she has any messages and then disable it, "That thing can serve as a tracking device."

Melanie whines, "But if you disable it, how will I be able to get hold of my friends and family?"

"We're starting a new life," says Nick, "You won't need to phone home. Max isn't as close as you think. On your birthday you wouldn't even believe what he said about you." Melanie quivers. Nick apologizes because he thinks he's scaring her. He touches her cheek and Melanie wigs out, "DON'T TOUCH ME!

EJ picks up Nicole and carries her upstairs. "I love a man of action," says Nicole.

"Good," says EJ, "A little action is what I'm hoping for."

Chelsea says, "I wonder if Melanie wrote the note herself to draw suspicion away from her."

Maggie jumps in, "It's my stationery. Maybe I wrote the note! "

Chelsea takes the note and looks at it, "OMG! This is Nick's handwriting! He even signed it, 'Lonely Splicer.' "

Stephanie says she is sorry she's talking about business with Phillip's mom in the hospital. "That's OK," says Phillip, "I need the distraction. I like it when it's crazy at work. I like it when it's so busy I can't even think."

"It must be pretty busy around your office all the time, " says Stephanie. She gets a call. It's Maggie asking if she's seen Nick or Melanie.

Nick rages, "What did you just say? You can't talk to me like that."

Melanie apologizes, "It's just that I feel ugly and dirty." Woozy nutty Nick calms her down. Melanie asks about his shoulder as they sit on the couch. She thinks he might need another drink and pill. "I'm OK," insists Nick.

"All right," says Melanie, "You do all the thinking. You need sleep."

Nick gets more obsessive, "I need you. I love you, Melanie, you do know that don't you? He moves in, "You're not scared of me now, are you?" Melanie whimpers.

Brady tells John he won't push for a relationship. John says there is no relationship, "I don't know you and nothing will change that." Brady knows John won't give up on Marlena. John thinks Brady is very perceptive. Brady tells him he's thinking about moving there permanently.

"That's your decision," says John, "But sometimes it's wise just to cut your losses." John leaves.

Brady says, "If you're sick, I'm not going anywhere."

Max and Chelsea have transported to the Cheatin' Heart. He tells her he really doesn't know where Melanie might be. "So," says Chelsea, "your looking for her would be..."

Max interrupts, "Useless..."

"Right," says Chelsea, "Kind of like trying to make sense of this episode. "

Max asks, "Why did she do this?"

Chelsea knows this is difficult on Max. Max thinks Trent has screwed up Melanie's life to this point and if she is guilty of murdering him, that means he'll screw up the rest of her life, too. Suddenly, Max has a thought. A guy from the Salem Inquirer watches as Max gets his epiphany. He picks up his cell phone and calls the paper, "STOP THE PRESSES!"

Max asks, "What if running wasn't Melanie's idea..."

Chelsea catches on, "I'm gonna call my dad."

Back in Bo's office, Jenkins sucks up to Commissioner Brady. Embarrassed Bo says, "Cut it out, Jenkins."

"Sure thing, Bo," says Jenkins.

Bo corrects him, "That's COMMISSIONER Bo. And salute when you say it."

Hope comes in. She says she just got off the phone with Chelsea, "If Nick is in love with her, threatening notes are out of character."

"If he's obsessed, he needs to make her scared and isolate her," says Bo.

Hope isn't on board, "I can't see it." Then suddenly she exercises her woman's prerogative and changes her mind, "God... yes... I do. The painkillers scare me."

"That's pretty common," says Bo, "That's why Brady and John say it's always good to take a few 'ludes with the painkillers."

Nick laps it up on Melanie's face, "I know I said I wanted to marry you because wives can't testify against their husbands. But that's not it. I love you. I want us to spend all the Days Of Our Lives together. You could come to love me in time don't you think?"

Melanie plays along, "Sure. I think I'll take you up on that drink. We'll toast our happiness." She tells him to relax and goes over go fix his drink. As she works, she grabs the ice pick.

Nicole... EJ... bed... you do the math.

Phillip says, "I'm not sure Nick can deal with Melanie."

"In order to deal with her," says Stephanie, "you need mace and a net. Wherever they are I'm sure Nick is in trouble." They decide to go over to Maggie's to see if they can help out.

Melanie brings Nick the drinks. She says she thinks he should get some sleep. Nick don' wan' no stinkin' sleep. He wants a bachelor party before the wedding. Kisses. As he mauls her, Nick discovers the ice pick.

Hope insists she is OK as Bo gives her a backrub. She looks at the threatening note and has a thought.

A guy from the Salem Inquirer stands outside Bo's door and watches as Hope has her epiphany. He picks up his cell phone and calls the paper, "STOP THE PRESSES!"

"Hope says, "Nick was at the cemetery. The note says, 'I know what happened,' not 'I know what you did.'" Hope looks at the autopsy report.

Melanie bawls. She says things are happening too fast. Nick flings the ice pick, "This had better be good."

"It's DOOL," says Melanie, "It's never good."

Melanie slams her hand into Nick's injured shoulder. Nick goes down like Nicole and Chloe in an express elevator. Melanie follows up by by smashing her glass on his forehead. She bolts for the door, but Nick catches her and slams it, "You just made a very big mistake."

EJ and Nicole languish in bed. "That was a wonderful afternoon," says EJ.

"I don't think five minutes constitutes an entire afternoon," says Nicole.

Maggie calls and leaves another message for Nick. "Please call," she whines, "Better yet come home. If Melanie has you mixed up in this we can talk about it, OK?" There is a knock at the door and Maggie gasps, "NICK!" She opens the door to find Phillip and Stephanie. She tells them she still hasn't heard from Nick and runs out leaving a trail o' tears.

Max says, "It's weird. It's like Nick's world just shrunk down to Melanie."

"Why would he do this to her," asks Chelsea.

"I told her not to do anything to hurt Nick," he says, "I guess I got it backwards."

"I've noticed that happens a lot," says Chelsea.

Hope looks at the autopsy report, "The knife wounds were from someone over six feet."

Bo asks, "What if Trent was bending over when he was stabbed? Then a short person could have stabbed him..."

"Keep your stupid theories to yourself," says Hope. Bo and Hope figure it must have been Nick who stabbed Trent. Bo asks, "Do you think Melanie knows?"

Hope says, "I hope not... for her sake."

Melanie apologizes as she struggles with Nick.

Stephanie asks Phillip if he thinks they should go upstairs and see if Maggie is OK. Before he can answer, her phone rings. She looks at the caller ID, "Oh, thank God, it's Nick."

We pan away from Nick's open cell phone on the carpet as he and Melanie struggle. She spins away from him and screams, "What're you gonna do, kill me?"

"What?"

Melanie explodes, "I said, what are you gonna do, kill me — like you did my father?"


Previews
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