Due to coverage of the Olympics, As the World Turns was not shown.
KIM and BOB walk into a Chicago bar trying to get some info about Molly who used to work here. Bob tells Kim to use her charms on the bartender and owner, Pat Leary. So she goes to the bar and sits down by herself. Pat recognizes her from her old singing days and they have a very friendly conversation until Kim talks to him about Molly. Then he gets very huffy and refuses to give her any info. At the same time, Bob sees some movement behind a red curtain. He walks over and pulls open the curtain and finds Molly who runs out the back way with Kim and Bob in pursuit. But she is too fast for them and she is gone.
EMILY is sitting at a table at the Mona Lisa using her laptop. DAVID comes in and wants to know what is wrong--why she left the house. She talks about his new job. She says that James is a huge investor in Thorn Apple but David says he checked it out before he took the job and there was no connection with James. Then she pulls out his credit card bill (telling him that she opened it by mistake) and shows him the charge for chloroform. He tells her he has never even been to Carbondale. He says that the whole thing is a setup. She questions him about why he wouldn't leave Oakdale when she wanted to move away. He says he will leave tonight if she wants but she says she doesn't trust him anymore. She says she can't live like this because she has worked too hard to get James out of her life. She returns his ring and says she wants no part of him or James--then walks out. Matt has observed all of this.
MARGO, LUCINDA, LILY and SAM are in the office at the Falcon Club where Margo is dressing in Sam's clothes and donning a blond wig preparing to meet James. She says that as soon as James hits the alley, she will call for backup and they will have him. Suddenly on the video monitor they see Tom come into the club. He orders a gin and tonic as Margo (dressed in her own clothes) comes up to find out why he is there. He says he is taking the afternoon off and wants her to go to a film festival with him. She tells him to go on to the movie and she will meet him later for dinner. Back in the office, they see KIRK on the monitor. Sam goes to keep him busy while Margo leaves. Kirk tells Sam he has a surprise and shows her the City Times headline about how they will renew their wedding vows. She gets upset and holds the paper so Lucinda and Lily can see it on the monitor. They say they must warn Margo and rush out. (What happened to their cell phones?)
JACK and CARLY kiss and she tells him she adores him. He asks what is going on between her and Hal. She says she is going to talk to him. Jack says he doesn't want to see Hal get hurt. He wants to know why she let things go so far with Hal if she wasn't in love with him--"What were you trying to get out of him?" She says Hal gave her a chance and he respected her. Jack says Ben told him he is in for a long recovery--a couple of months. She shows her disappointment, then kisses him passionately causing him to cry out in pain. She calls Ben and he says the stitches are pulled. "No sex for a few months and if just kissing did this, lay off on that too." Carly insists to Jack that he can heal faster than that. She walks out of the room when he talks to her about how she is handling this. Carly tells Lisa that Jack won't fight to get well faster. Lisa tells her if she really loves Jack, she might have to forget about the money. But then she says Carly could tell him about the money and they could "conceive a child without too much exertion." Carly poo- poos the idea of a sperm donation. She doesn't want to tell him about the money until they are together as a couple. Later Hal visits Jack and tells him he went way above and beyond in saving Carly and getting the evidence. Hal tells him he had no idea until she was gone how important she was to him and then he pulls out an engagement ring for Jack to see. He says he is right for Carly. She needs stability and he can give her that. Ben checks on Jack who says that he thinks Carly may be up to something and he doesn't like it. In the hall Hal asks Carly to have dinner with him because he has something to talk to her about and she says she has something important to tell him too.
JAMES is looking at the Argus when Matt comes in with his apron on and asks him what he is doing down there. He tells James that he fixed up the spare room for him and that's where he should be. Matt delivers the news that Emily dumped David and from James' reaction, he figures out that James planned the whole thing. James shows him the headlines about Kirk and Sam but says he still intends to meet with her tonight.
Margo is in the dark alley talking into her mike to her fellow officers who are nearby. Just then headlights flash on her.
BARBARA and JOHN are unpacking at home. He tells her he may take a leave of absence from the hospital. She can't understand it. He says, "There are times when it seems futile--medicine, doctors." Barbara guesses that this is about Johnny. John says, "We coded him for 20 minutes and there was nothing we could do. We were helpless." Barbara asks for his forgiveness for not seeing that he was hurting all this time. She finally realizes that they need to share their grief together.
LUCINDA, LILY and SAM are at the station waiting for the police to bring in James.
In the dark alley when "James" gets out of the car, MARGO pulls her gun and tells him to get down on the ground. Then she finds that it is DAVID. He tells her that Emily sent him a message to meet her there. Margo takes him in; she thinks David helped James escape. She grills him about James. David says he was in the alley because James set him up. "He is trying to get even with me." Margo takes a break and the other three women go in and ask him about the breakup between him and Emily. David says that James sent the note to set him up. As he leaves, he says he is going to bring down James Stenbeck "if it's the last thing I do."
Matt is at the station talking to NIKKI. He quizzes her about the manhunt. She tells him she took some pictures of him at the Mona Lisa and she tells him about the photo of James and the guards as they were leaving the courthouse. Later he goes to the darkroom looking for the photo when Nikki comes in and finds him there. He says he wanted to see the pictures she told him about. Everything is in such a mess that she can't find any of them. She tells him she has to study and will find them later. As he is leaving the station and talking to her, they hear David insisting that he knows nothing about James.
In the basement of the Mona Lisa as Holden is trying to get loose (he is chained around an upright pipe), James and Matt come in talking about Margo's encounter with David. James has binoculars and says he wants David to find out that the only person he can count on is James. Matt wants out of the whole thing but James tells him that he will get out when James tells him he will get out. After Matt is gone, James reminds Holden about the young people's hangout (The Cellar) that used to be in the basement of the Mona Lisa and that it was soundproofed so that diners upstairs wouldn't have to hear the loud music. Therefore it won't do Holden any good to cry out. The room they are in is hidden behind Matt's room so no one is going to find him there. Holden tells James that his partner is getting antsy and may turn on him but James says that he doesn't have partners. He has people who are useful to him and when they are no longer useful, they become expendable (he says as he pulls out his gun). Holden hassles James about Sam helping to set him up tonight. James says that he is going to take her away. The night that she is renewing her vows with Kirk, he will steal her away. After he leaves, Holden starts unscrewing the pipe he is chained to. When he gets loose, he goes to the door and opens it, finding Matt who pulls a knife. As Holden is telling him that he will have to stab him to keep him from escaping, James arrives with his gun.
TOM is watching a Buster Keaton movie when he notices that Emily is there too. She is crying and he lends her his handkerchief. They are the only two people there. She tells him about her breakup with David. She says she didn't want to believe that he is James' son but she found out that he can't be trusted. She says she not only lost David but the newspaper too. Tom tells her he thought she did a good job with the paper. He says he has told Lisa that she needs somebody like Emily at the Argus. Emily asks him what he thinks Lisa would do if she went to her and asked her if she would give her an editing job. She wants him to put in a good word for her. She gives him back his handkerchief. Tom says David did him a favor by forcing him to resign from the DA's office. He says he doesn't know if he likes being a lawyer any more.
NIKKI comes to the Mona Lisa looking for Matt. She wants to show him the photographs she took. JOHN and BARBARA arrive to have dinner. When they run into Nikki, she tells them that James has escaped. Barbara is very upset and fearful that James may come after her children. John does his best to try to calm her down. He assures her he won't let Stenbeck harm her or the kids. Nikki goes down to the basement looking for Matt. She's about to enter the room where James is hiding when Matt stops her. He tells her she shouldn't be in his room because he could get into trouble. She shows Matt the photographs she took. He asks where the one of Stenbeck is and she tells him she didn't bring that one because the police photographer is trying to blow it up to look for clues. Matt tells her he still would like to see it and Nikki tells him she will try to get a copy. When Nikki leaves, James emerges from where he has been hiding and listening. He reprimands Matt for bringing a woman to his room. He wants to know who she is. Matt tells him it just someone named Jane he met at a bar. After Matt leaves to go back upstairs, James sees one of the pictures and discovers that Jane is really Nikki Munson. LISA and TOM arrive at the Mona Lisa. They discuss the status of the Stenbeck case with John and Barbara as Matt listens nearby. Tom pulls his mother aside and pitches the idea of Emily working for her at the Argus. Lisa wants to know why he's so eager to help Emily. Later, James tells Matt to stay away from Nikki or he will kill her.
ANDY is working on a digital enhancement of the pre-escape photograph in the darkroom when MARGO stops by to ask if he wants to go to dinner with her and Tom. Andy shows her what he's working on. Immediately, Margo notices there are three guards present instead of just the two who were assigned to James. She deduces that the other guy must be James' accomplice. She encourages her brother to keep working on it. While the computer is compressing the pixels of the blowup, Margo and Andy discuss the reasons for Margo's personal vendetta against James and how she may be neglecting her family. Margo assures him everything is okay and that she's more worried about his love life. She wants to set Andy up with a blind date, but Andy gets of the hook when NIKKI comes in and interrupts the conversation. Andy shows Nikki on the computer what he's doing and tells her, "if it pans out, you may have solved the case."
When CARLY comes to see JACK, he wants to know what's going on with her, she's been acting funny. Carly tells him she just wants him to get better fast so they can be together. Jack wants to know why she hasn't told Hal about them yet. She says she's going to do it at dinner tonight. Jack warns her it's not going to be easy because Hal plans to propose to her. Carly tells him she had no idea, but she will set things straight with him. Then, Jack is floored with Carly suddenly proposes to him, insisting that they get married right away. Carly becomes upset when Jack balks at the idea, telling her he can't marry her right now, that he needs more time. Carly tells him there is no more time and storms out of the room. In the waiting area, Carly fluctuates between flashbacks of intimate talks with Hal and passionate kisses from Jack. She then goes to the phone and calls Hal, "I just wanted to make sure we were still on for tonight."
JOHN and BARBARA are in their bedroom after returning home from the Mona Lisa. Barbara is feeling much better now that the kids are home and she can watch over them. She thanks John for being so wonderful and understanding. John is feeling a little awkward because he's not sure what the sleeping arrangements are now that they are back from Tahiti. Barbara tells him she's still not ready. He asks her if she wants to talk about it. She tells him she doesn't want to hurt his feelings, but she just doesn't know why she feels that way. John dutifully takes a blanket and leaves for the couch.
MARGO and HAL are at the police station. Margo notices Hal's new suit and wants to know what the occasion is. She is surprised to learn that Hal has a date with Carly. When Hal sees her hesitation, he immediately wants to know if something about Carly is bothering her because he intends to propose to her and, if Carly says yes, he's won't be listening to any more objections. She decides to keep silent and tells Hal, "you're a great guy, any woman would be lucky to have you."
JACK asks BEN's advice about his situation with Carly, particularly his refusal of her sudden marriage proposal. Jack asks, "is it nuts?" Ben tells him that maybe it isn't, life and death situations can bring people closer together and make them not want to waste anymore time.
CARLY is at the penthouse trying to pick out the perfect dress for her date with HAL. LISA is surprised at Carly's sudden change in heart. She knows Carly loves Jack not Hal and does her best to convince Carly of same. But, Carly tells Lisa Jack was just a moment of temporary insanity. She asked Jack to marry her and he refused so now he's a non-issue. She tells Lisa that she has a deadline and she needs a man that can make her a baby. After the ladies have walked out the door, the phone rings. When the answering machine picks up, it's Jack with an apology.
NIKKI and ANDY are in front of the computer in the darkroom. As the images on the photograph become clearer, they notice that one of the guards is wearing a thumb ring. Andy doesn't think its important, but Nikki insists it could be the big break. She runs out in search of her father to tell him the news.
MATT brings JAMES a tray of food. Matt asks if he intends to feed Holden. He tells Matt to give Holden a piece of bread. When Matt approaches Holden, he knocks the tray from Matt's hands. In the commotion, Holden grabs a "Mona Lisa" matchbook. Later, while Holden and James taunt each other, Holden steals a pen and scribbles the word "HELP" on the matchbook.
LILY and LUCINDA have come to check on the status of the investigation. MARGO tells them about the new lead they have. DAVID storms in angry that he is being followed. He discovers that both the police and Lucinda have a watch on him. Insults are exchanged between all. David informs them "You need me. I'm all you've got. I'm the only one that can get him for you. I'm your bait and I'm going to make you beg." Margo coolly informs him, "we don't need your help." David smiles, "Well, don't say I didn't offer."
HAL is at the Mona Lisa taking great care to ensure that everything is perfect for this special night. CARLY makes her grand entrance. Seated at their table, Hal begins his proposal to Carly, but they are interrupted by NIKKI. Carly excuses herself from the table while Hal talks to Nikki who is very upset about her father's plans to marry Carly. She pleads with her father that Carly is a user and he will only get hurt. Hal assures her that won't happen. Nikki begrudgingly concedes. She then tells her father about the new evidence, the thumb ring. MATT, who is listening nearby, quickly removes his ring.
BEN arrives at the Mona Lisa. He sees Carly and promptly calls Jack to inform him. At that moment, Hal asks Carly, "will you marry me?"
In the darkroom ANDY realizes that Nikki has forgotten her photographs. While he is busy gathering them up for her, MATT approaches Andy from behind and knocks him out.
