She struggled with a strand of lights that was caught in the boughs of the tree and finally she ripped it out in frustration and balled the string into an unkempt wad before tossing it into a box labeled garland. Lucy figured she'd never find everything she needed to do this next year, but would she really care? Without Neil, she didn't think she would.

All her life she'd waited for the man that would make her happy and finally she'd found him and now he was being taken away from her like her happiness had always been before. This was the man she was supposed to grow old with! They'd settled down in their own house and someday there would have been children running around, but now that would never be.

Soon tears blurred Lucy's vision and she grew angry with herself for crying when Neil was being so brave and never cried in front of her. He was the one fighting cancer, not her.

She was thankful he was upstairs in the bedroom sleeping so that he wouldn't see her tears. When the doorbell sounded, Lucy wiped them on her blue sweater and got up off the floor to answer it. Before she got to it, the door opened and Val came in.

Growing more frustrated, Lucy snapped. “Mom, why the heck do you have to ring the doorbell when you have a key!”

Val was taken aback by Lucy's abrupt 'greeting' and she tossed her coat onto the rack by the door. “Well I'm sorry Hon, should I go back outside and try it again…to your specifications?” Val wasn't exactly in the best mood. Her trip to California had seen to that. The airport had been a madhouse and the heightened security had grinded just about everything to a standstill.

“Sorry,” Lucy said, half-apologetically. “How was your trip? And how was Betsy, Bobby, and Dad?”

“Betsy and Bobby are doing great. They send their love.”

“And Dad?”

“Gary is fine.” There was a certain coldness in Val's voice that didn't go unnoticed by Lucy. She started up the staircase before Lucy could ask any more questions.

Lucy shrugged and went back to her work on taking down the Christmas tree. She unwound another strand of lights and sighed in frustration when the phone rang. “Hello?” She said, rather tersely.

“Mrs. Lancaster?”

“What?”

“This is Sonny Blackburn from the Dallas police department, I'm afraid I have some bad news for you…”

Lucy's attitude changed. “What is it?”

“Your ex-husband, Mitch Cooper, and his sister, Afton Cooper, were found dead in Mr. Cooper's apartment yesterday…”

“Well? What did he say?”

Christopher was going to try to tease her by making her guess, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face. “Dad said that Mom's awake and seems to be responding to the treatment. I wanted to go right over to the hospital, but he says she's still weak and falling in and out of sleep so we may as well wait. She still has a ways to go, but it looks a lot better than it did.”

Karen threw her arms around him and he hugged her tightly. “Oh Christopher, I'm so happy.”

When Christopher pulled back and looked at her, he was surprised to see that she was crying. “Hey, why the tears? This is good news, remember?”

Karen looked down at the ground. “I know, it seems silly, but I'm so happy because every time I looked at that sweet, adorable little girl over there,” she pointed to Gracie, “I couldn't help but think that she might have to grow up without a mommy. Gracie's so precious, I just couldn't stand the thought of that.”

Chris put his arms around her waist. “I think maybe there was also a little bit of sympathy there for a little boy who could have grown up without knowing his mother.”

Karen looked into his eyes. How could he know her so well? “Yeah, I guess so.”

They both sat down on a nearby bench to watch the kids play. Austin and Cole ran to an air hockey table, almost knocking Megan and Gracie down in their attempts at beating the other to the table. Fearful that they might get hurt, Karen expertly redirected the two girls to a small ball pit for younger children.

When she came back and sat down, Christopher was smiling. “You know, you've become an expert at this 'mommy' thing already.”

Karen chuckled, “It's called survival!” They both laughed. Chris put his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled close. “You know, we really are lucky to have four such wonderful kids.”

Chris moved his arm from behind her and turned to face her. “Four? Karen, are you trying to tell me something?”

A blank look came over her face and then she realized what Chris thought she meant. “No, no, no! Are you kidding? I think we have our hands full enough as it is. I guess I was just subconsciously including Gracie in my count.”

Chris turned and put his arm back around her. “It wouldn't have been bad news, you know.”

“What?”

“I was just saying that it wouldn't have been bad news if you were pregnant, that's all.”

Karen looked at him with a mischievous smile. “Just how many kids do you want?”

Christopher put his finger on his chin and pretended to deeply ponder the subject. “Oh, I'd say enough to fill a shoe.”

For a moment, Karen looked at him as though he'd lost his mind, then she chuckled, “Okay, I get it, and I get to be the 'Old Woman' in the shoe?”

“Only if I'm the 'Old Man'!” He leaned over and kissed her quickly on the lips. “Come on, Old Woman, let's round up the kids and get them back to the shoe.”

“Well…Detective Miller, please do come in.” Rex stepped back and with a sweep of his arm, he motioned for her to come inside.

It didn't take Hope but a second to put together a quick profile on Rex. He was definitely a smooth-talker. A rich man who was used to getting his way, whether it was by the use of his money, or his charm. Right now, he was going for the latter. “I have a few questions for your Mr. Wentworth.”

“No need to be so formal, just call me Rex.” Rex walked into the living area and stoked the fire in the fireplace until it blazed up. “Have a seat here next to the fire…and let me get you some coffee, or if you'd prefer, cappuccino?”

Hope shook her head and politely declined. “I don't have much of a stomach for it this morning, I'm afraid.” She took a seat in an armchair and Rex took the other one.

“So…what is it that I can help you with?” he asked while crossing his leg. Hope took note of the expensive-looking silk robe that he was wearing. Rex noticed and smiled. “Had I known I was going to have a visitor, I would have dressed for the occasion.”

“That's okay. It is early.”

“May I ask what was so urgent as to bring one of Dallas' finest out so early?” Rex knew exactly why she was here. This was about Afton, but he had to play dumb. As far as he knew, her name hadn't been released yet, but the story would definitely hit the news soon.

“Mr. Wentworth…” Rex gave her a disapproving look. “Rex…what was the extent of your relationship with Afton Cooper?”

“She is my fiancé. Why? Has something happened?” Rex feigned concern. “If something's happened to Afton, please tell me…she was going on a short trip and is supposed to be back tonight…”

“Afton Cooper was found dead in her brother's apartment late yesterday afternoon.”

“Oh dear God…” Rex stood up and braced himself on the chair. “Oh dear God, my Afton…”

“I'm sorry Rex.”

“What happened? How did it happen?” Rex wasn't used to irrational speaking, but right now, you couldn't tell it. He was putting on a good show for Officer Miller. “Was it some kind of accident?”

“I can't really release any details, but foul play was definitely at hand.”

“Then she was murdered…” Rex let rage well up in his eyes. “I want to find the bastard who did this to Afton.”

“That's my job.”

“Well, do you have any suspects?”

Hope nodded her head. “Several. Seems that Afton wasn't the most well loved person in Dallas. She also had that TV show, Dallas Dish, which means that it could be just about any psycho that might have had a thing for her.”

Rex looked away and then turned back to her and chewed his knuckles. “Afton…” he whispered, letting the sadness show through again. Then, he let the anger resurface. “I'll hire my own private investigator…I have connections and the money to find out who did this to my fiancé.”

“That's not necessary,” Hope said. “The Dallas P.D. has a good track record with this kind of thing. We'll find who did this…you don't worry about that.”

Hope's comments shook Rex and he was thankful that that just added to his act. Finally, he nodded. “They will be found…whether you find them, or I do.”

“I know you're upset Mr. Wentworth…Rex, but I have a few more questions for you, if that's okay.”

Rex nodded and sat back down. “Of course…anything to help speed up the investigation. I'll tell you anything about Afton that you need to know.”

“I've already investigated some leads about Afton's activities on the day's prior to her murder and I discovered that she had her safe deposit box pulled from the bank vault on the day that she was murdered…and that you were there with her that day, Mr. Wentworth.”

Rex nodded. “Yes, I was with Afton that day.”

“What did Afton take out of that safe deposit box?”

Rex went quiet for a split-second and then he came up with his answer. “It was the ring she'd…the ring she'd bought for our wedding. At least that's what I'm guessing it was…”

“What do you mean 'guessing', you don't know what it was?”

“It was in a small black box. I wasn't supposed to see what it was, but I looked over her shoulder when she took it out of the safe deposit box. It looked to be a box that a ring would come in. She'd been teasing for a while that she had something for me, but that I wouldn't get it until our big day…” Rex let himself stare off into space, as if he was remembering happy times with Afton.

“Rex…”

“Oh, I'm sorry. But I never knew for sure…”

Hope nodded and took note of it in her notebook. “One last question Rex.”

“Go ahead…”

“Where were you on the night of December twenty-fourth…the night of Afton Cooper's murder?”

“Wade…I didn't realize it was this bad. If this is too much for you, I don't mind you not going any further.”

Wade gave Ellie an uneasy, but reassuring smile. “I'm fine Miss Ellie…I haven't seen her in a while…at least a year. I need to do this.”

They followed the orderly to a room around the corner and he unlocked the door, allowing both of them into the room. There was a window directly across from the doorway and the morning sunlight shone through it. The thin ghostly form of a woman sat in the sunlight, dressed entirely in white. When she heard the door shut, Emily turned around.

“Who's there?” she said, almost scared. She looked right through them.

“Grandma…it's me…Wade.”

“Wade?” Her face was blank. Expressionless. Finally it lit up. “Oh! Wade! I just didn't recognize you. My how you've grown up since I've seen you last. What's it been? Twenty-odd years now? Who's your friend?”

She obviously didn't recognize Ellie; Wade wasn't sure whether or not to tell her who she was. “You don't remember me Emily?” Ellie asked.

“Should I? 'Course, my memory is not what it used to be.” Emily reached beside her and stroked the fur of a stuffed cat. “Right Muffin?” She leaned to the side, seemingly listening to the cat. “Now you hush! What a rude thing to say when we have guests!”

Ellie watched her old friend and she was disturbed. This was definitely not the Emily she remembered. There was no way she'd be able to tell her anything. Emily abruptly stood up from her chair. It took her no time to cross the room and sit cross-legged in front of an antique dollhouse.

Emily took an old doll in her hands and walked it into the house. “Eleanor! Ellie…here I am. Come downstairs…”

With her other hand, Emily brought another doll downstairs. “Emily, what a pleasant surprise!” she mouthed.

“It's time for us to go Ellie…time to go to Brighton's Bend. They're expecting us there tomorrow. Then you can come home in a few more months…yes you can.” Emily continued to let the dolls carry on their banter.

Across the room, Ellie listened. Was this a clue? “Emily…” she said.

Emily wasn't listening.

“Emily…”

She looked up at Ellie. “Yes?”

“Where is Brighton's Bend? Why are we going there?”

“We?” Emily asked, confused. “I'm going to Brighton's Bend with Ellie. Why on earth would you think you're going?”

“Because I am Ellie.”

Emily went quiet, apparently thinking about the revelation. Finally, she burst out into laughter. “That…that's the craziest notion I've ever heard! You…Ellie. Ha! You look every bit of eighty years old. Everybody knows Ellie's not a day over twenty-five at the most.”

“Sometimes she lives in the past…least part of her does,” Wade added.

Ellie nodded. “Why are you and Ellie going to Brighton's Bend then Emily?”

“Well, I don't see what business it is of yours!” Emily said haughtily. “Especially considering that I don't know you!”

Ellie decided that the only way she was going to get any more information was to play along with Emily. “I'm Ellie's grandmother. I'm worried about Ellie, she's been so distant lately.”

“Oh! I had no idea! What a fool you must think I am. But if you're her grandmother, then you should already know why she's going to Brighton's Bend. Unless of course you forgot, which at your age, is definitely not unheard of.”

“I must have forgotten,” Ellie said, continuing to play along with the charade.

“She's going to Brighton's Bend so that nobody will find out about her…” Emily trailed off into laughter. “About her secret.”

“Secret? What secret?”

“You'll have to ask Ellie herself, I'm afraid,” Emily babbled. “I just can't tell a secret. It's bad practice you know.”

“I'm sure she wouldn't mind,” Ellie went on.

“Well I'm sure she wouldn't either, for that matter! But, with dirty little secrets you just can't ever be too sure. I'm going to help her out though, so nobody will ever find out about her secret. Then I'll get what I want too. Right Garrison?” Emily took the Garrison doll and hugged it in her arms; then stood up and began to turn around in circles. “Garrison will be mine. Mine forever…mine forever. Mine forever, mine forever. Forever and ever and ever and ever and ever…”

“Grandma.” Wade walked over to her and helped her back over to her chair. “Why don't you sit back down for a while.”

“Why…yes, I suppose you're right Garrison. I am a might tired and I could use some rest. It's been such a long day.” Emily leaned her head back onto her chair's pillow and within seconds, she was asleep.

If only he'd been able to spend Christmas Eve with Kaitlin, he would have had an alibi. But she'd also been out of town and wouldn't return until later the next day. Then again, if he had gone that route, the fact that he was 'engaged' to Afton and seeing Kaitlin might have raised more than a few eyebrows about his story. Kaitlin. How would he ever explain Afton to her. There was certainly no keeping it from her now. He had to be sure she heard it from him first. That was his only chance. But first things first…

“Well, let's see. That was Christmas Eve and Afton was supposedly out of town, so of course I was upset about not getting to spend Christmas with her, but she said she had something important to do in Atlanta…something about a charity she and her brother were starting?”

Hope nodded. “Go on.”

Who would lie for him? He didn't know of anyone. But who could he make lie for him? An idea came to Rex…

“I was with my ex-wife, Iris Wentworth…”

Duke, her boss, pushed two plates of greasy food into her face and hollered at her to deliver them. Isabel was already feeling sick and run down, and the scent of greasy onion rings was about to make her gag.

Isabel tried to clear her mind, and think only of her mission. All she cared about now was waiting until her pregnancy started to show so she could go to Lucas and get her life back… not to mention getting revenge on Manny and Jillian.

As Isabel stepped out of the kitchen, she froze. Lucas and some of his school friends had just entered the diner!

“I can't let Lucas see me like this!” Isabel thought, hiding in the kitchen. What was he doing in a rattrap like the Duke's Diner with his friends anyway! Her cheeks burned when she thought of how embarrassing it would be if Lucas saw her in her skintight, short waitressing uniform.

“I'm sick of letting people ruin my life!” she hissed to herself.

“Did you say something, Darlin'?” Duke asked, as he began washing dishes with his massive hands.

“I'm taking my break! I think I'm going to be sick!”

Isabel shoved the trays back at her boss and ran out the back door, avoiding Lucas and his friends… for now…

“She wasn't that far gone last time I stopped by…” Wade stared ahead, blankly. Seeing his grandmother like that was obviously affecting him.

Ellie put a hand on Wade's arm to reassure him. “It couldn't be easy for you seeing her like that. It was hard enough for me.”

“So what about this Brighton's Bend? And the secret?”

Ellie sighed. “I wish I knew Wade. I wish I knew.”

They drove along for another few minutes and Ellie watched the passing scenery, without truly seeing it. Her mind was rooted in something much deeper.

“What about going to that town?”

“I think that may be my next step. But that's enough about that for now. How about we stop by the hospital and see how your new little niece is doing?”

Wade smiled. “I'd forgotten all about that.” He turned on the right signal and exited the highway. “I'm gonna stop up here at this little flower shop and pick up something for Amelia.”

“That's a nice idea. Wade, I could tell you were uncomfortable when I told the family you were my nephew, which I can understand, but how do you feel about the family knowing now?”

“Well, to tell you the truth, I haven't really thought about it much. I noticed that J.R. left pretty quick once he heard, but Ray was nice.”

“J.R. always has a hard time adjusting anytime someone new joins the family. Just ask Ray.” Ellie saw the flower shop up ahead and motioned for Wade to turn.

He pulled into a parking space and stepped out of the truck. “You know you've gotta come in and help me pick out some flowers 'cause I don't know the first thing about them.”

The phone in the next room rang and Iris cursed it. It had been ringing all throughout her twenty-minute shower and she had no intentions of getting out to answer it then, but she supposed she would now.

Iris wrapped her hair in a towel just before picking up the phone. “Hello?” she answered.

“Dammit Iris! Why didn't you answer the phone before!” Iris held the phone out from her ear. It was Rex.

“What's your problem Rex and why the hell are you screaming at me?”

“I'm sorry…”

Iris was floored. A rare apology from Rex… “What do you want?”

Rex sighed audibly into the phone. The less Iris knew, the better, but he would have to tell her something if she were going to help him. He knew she'd have plenty of annoying questions. “I need you to lie for me…”

Iris broke out into a cackle of laughter. “Me? Lie for you? After you went back on your promise to help me get Sue Ellen away from J.R.? What the hell is this, April Fool's Day?”

“This is no laughing matter. This is serious Iris. I'll give you anything you want if you'll just do this for me.”

“Anything I want? Rex, are you begging?”

“I'm begging, if you want to call it that. I'm desperate.”

“Now there's a novel concept. Rex Wentworth, desperate.”

“Afton Cooper was murdered and I may be a suspect, but I don't have an alibi for the night of her murder and I told the detective that I was with you. It was on Christmas Eve…I told her I was with you, Josette, and Simeon…all night, from about 6 p.m. until around midnight. I was spending Christmas Eve with my family because Afton was out of town…no mention of Kaitlin.”

“Oh my God, Rex…” Iris rolled her eyes as she pulled her bathrobe closer to her. “That alibi has about as many holes as a piece of Swiss cheese! Our children weren't even in the United States and haven't been for several years!”

“I'm completely aware of that Iris,” Rex said, growing irritated. He knew that Hope Miller would be showing up to question Iris any minute. “Leave them to me.”

“Don't you dare drag Simeon and Josie into this…I won't lie for you.”

“Yes you will.” Rex's tone was confident. It was the first hint of confidence he'd shown during the entire phone call. Iris was scared by it.

“No…” Her voice wasn't as strong as before.

“Need I remind you what you have to lose?”

“You wouldn't.” But she knew he would.

“I would and you know I could.”

Iris' doorbell rang and she panicked. Rex heard the bell through the phone. “Goodbye Rex…”

“Well, it was so-so. Nothing special, but not bad either. I heard about the tragedy with Pam. Anything new on her?”

Ellie smiled. “Actually, we've had some good news. Bobby called to say she's awake and doing as good as can be expected, though she still has a ways to go before she's completely out of the woods.”

“I'll keep her in my thoughts and prayers and hope that everything will be alright.” McKay followed Ellie into the living room and they both took seats on the sofa.

“Thank you Mac. Would you like anything to drink? Some coffee maybe?”

“No thanks, I'm fine. But I am curious as to why you called me over here and what was so important that you couldn't tell me on the phone.”

“Were you busy?”

McKay shook his head. “Oh no, not at all. I was just surprised to hear from you…and anxious to hear what you had to say.”

Ellie smiled her warm smile and turned to him. “Well, Wade and I went to visit my old friend Emily this morning.” Ellie noticed the blank look on McKay's face and decided to elaborate. “Wade's grandmother. Wade's mother, Helen, is my brother Garrison's daughter.”

“When did you find this out?”

“A couple of nights ago. Helen told me everything. The woman has so much resentment built up for me that it's frightening.”

“What about Emily? What did she have to say?”

“She was half out of her mind, but she did keep speaking of a town called Brighton's Bend and she said that the two of us went there a long time ago…to hide our secrets.” Ellie broke eye contact with McKay and stared off across the room toward Jock's painting. “And I think I need to go there to find out what those secrets are.”

“Are you sure about that Ellie? It could be anything…maybe something that could turn your life upside-down.”

Ellie looked back at him. “I'm old, Mac. I'd be kidding myself if I said I had a lot of time left. So no matter what the consequences, I have to find out what this secret is, before it's my time to go. If it's that bad, I'll keep it to myself and there'll be no harm done.”

“But could you keep it from your family?”

Ellie went quiet before answering. “If it meant sparing them a lot of pain, then yes, I could and I would.”

McKay nodded and waited for the clock to finish chiming before continuing. “So what exactly are you asking me to do?”

“I want you to go to Brighton's Bend with me…”

Bobby put the newspaper he was reading down and leaned forward. “I'm here, hon.” Her eyes were finally able to focus on him and she smiled a faint smile. “Do you want anything? If you're in any pain, I can call the nurse.”

Pam shook her head slightly. “No… but I want to see our babies.”

Bobby tried not to show any concern at her words. He knew that she'd want to see them as soon as she awoke again, but both he and her doctor had decided it would be best to wait. She was still weak and he wanted to try and keep her as stress free as possible. “You will.”

“When?” Even as she said it, she was drifting off again.

Bobby lightly caressed her cheek as her eyes closed. He whispered, “Soon. I promise.”

Pam smiled at his words and let sleep carry her away once again.

“Mr. Ewing.”

Bobby turned to find Dr. Bonetta standing behind him. He stood and pointed at Pam and then outside, signaling that he didn't want to wake her. They both moved out into the hallway and closed her door behind them. “Doctor, thank you. I didn't want to disturb Pamela.”

“Then she's doing better?”

Bobby nodded, “Her doctors say she is. How are the twins? Now that she's resting, I was just going to run down and see them.”

“They still have a long way to go. Our biggest concern right now is their weight. It's normal for newborns to loose a little right after birth, but for them, it's dangerous.”

“How bad is it?”

“B.J. has only lost a couple of ounces, but Savannah was the largest, and she now weighs a half ounce less than B.J.”

“Isn't there anything else you can do?”

“I won't lie to you. We're already doing everything we can, sometimes, there's nothing doctors and nurses can do.”

“You said there's nothing doctors can do, is there some one else? Another specialist?”

“Kind of. There's no real solid data on it, but many doctors believe that the turning point for some of these babies is human contact – specifically from relatives who love them. The nurses have been picking them up and touching them, but maybe they need more – maybe they need you and your wife.”

“I've been down to see them and every time, I've been told that I couldn't hold them because of their unstable condition.”

“I know, but it's time we try something else. At this point, we have nothing to lose.”

Bobby's heart lightened at the thought of being able to hold his new son and daughter for the first time. As they walked through the corridors, he tried to hold on to that feeling, but the words 'we have nothing to lose', kept coming back to him. He frowned. Was it too much to ask for another miracle?

After pouring himself a double, he checked his messages. One call from a company offering him a credit card; Cliff grumbled, “I ought to have my own credit card, 'The Clifford Group' Mastercard.” The thought of the company's logo on the front of a charge card make him grin. Of course, it would have to be a Mastercard, Visa sounded to wimpy.

He walked through the living room, switched on the TV, turned up the volume and continued on into the kitchen. As he looked around in the refrigerator for something to eat, he listened to the evening news. He pulled out some lunchmeat and gave it a sniff – borderline – but not quite spoiled yet. He decided to take the chance and began to make himself a sandwich.

Cliff began a search for the mayonnaise and hot sauce. Soon, his thoughts turned to Afton, as they always seemed to do whenever he found himself having to make his own dinner. “I'll bet she's getting tired of Wentworth by now; probably starting to realize what she's missing!” He muttered to himself as he continued his search.

“AHA!” He finally found the mayonnaise on the second shelf in the door of the refrigerator. As he began to put his sandwich together, he thought that he might even give Afton a call a little later. He'd grown used to seeing Valene in the little time they had spent together working on his book and now that she was in California, he found himself missing the companionship. He was just sitting down to eat when something from the television in the other room caught his ear.

On the lighter side, oil Prices took another downturn today, driving the gasoline prices down, as well…

Tonight we say goodbye to one of Dallas' own. Afton Cooper was the beautiful and sometimes feisty…

Ms. Cooper is best known for her local talk show, 'Dallas Dish', though some will remember her best from her days as a talented singer at some of the local clubs here in Dallas. The police are not releasing any details at this time as to the nature of her death.

…and so, we must bid a fond farewell to Afton Cooper. Rest in Peace, Afton.

She decided not to answer the phone. Let them leave a message, she thought. But they didn't leave a message and a minute later, it was ringing again. Annoyed, Michelle answered. “Hello. This had better be good.”

“Ms. Stevens? This is Mr. Silverton, your attorney.”

“Hey, Dave. What's going on? Is there someone we need to sue?” She loved to harass David; he had absolutely no sense of humor.

“No, I'm sorry. It's something else… I really hate to be the one to tell you this, but it seems that a relative of yours has passed on.”

“I don't have any relatives.”

“Let's see, the name here says Todd Foster.”

Michelle had been lounging on the couch. The sound of Todd's name caused her to get to her feet and start pacing the room with the phone at her ear. “Todd's dead.” She uttered the words more to herself than to the attorney.

“Yes, Ms. Stevens, that appears to be the case.”

For an instant she felt a slight hint of regret, after all, he was April's son. Thankfully, the feeling didn't last long. He may have been her nephew, but he was also the dirty rotten little rodent who swindled her out of her oil company. There was silence on the phone as these thoughts flashed through Michelle's mind.

“Ms. Stevens?”

“I'm sorry, yes, I'm here. What do I have to do?” Probably pay for his funeral expenses, she thought.

“It seems that you are mentioned in Mr. Foster's will. If you plan to attend the reading of it, you'll need to go to Dallas.”

“Thanks, bye.” Michelle hung up without waiting for Mr. Silverton to say good-bye. She quickly placed the phone down on the table and fell back on the couch again. What in the world would Todd Foster bequeath to her? Maybe he was trying to make amends and wanted to leave her April Oil? No way, she thought, not likely. Still, it was interesting.

Sitting up, Michelle smiled a devious little smile. “Dallas, here I come…”

CREDITS ROLL