IT’S OVER! BREAKING NEWS: Nick Floats a New Theory to Chance — and Claire Comes Face-to-Face With Jordan

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Chelsea walks into the jazz lounge and Victoria greets her. She asks if she’ll join her for a drink of bourbon. Chelsea is staying away from the dark stuff and orders a martini. Victoria heard what happened with her, Billy, and Adam, and says if she wants to talk about it, she’s a pretty decent listener.

Claire walks into Crimson Lights’ patio and asks Mariah and Tessa if there’s been anything on Sharon. Mariah says they haven’t. Tessa adds that it’s like she vanished. Mariah questions, “Why can’t they find her?!” Looking at Claire’s expression, Mariah assures that her mother isn’t dead. If she was, she’d feel it. “I would know.” Claire’s sure she’ll turn up. Mariah goes over this not making sense… Sharon was excited on New Year’s Eve and back on her meds. Claire starts to say something but stops. Mariah urges her to continue. Claire grimaces, “Even if you might not like what I have to say?”

Claire wonders if Sharon doesn’t want to be found. Mariah nixes the idea that she ran off. They just got proof that she didn’t kill Heather. Claire learns that hypnosis revealed someone else was at the scene. Mariah and Tessa insist she was on solid ground. Mariah crabs that Ian showing up when Sharon disappeared can’t be a coincidence. Tessa says Victor’s security team is following him around. Mariah says he can walk through walls… and security teams. “I threatened to kill him if I saw his face again.” Tessa tells her Ian was at Society earlier. Mariah gawps, “What?!” She tells Tessa he’s trying to get under their skin and is relieved to hear that Abby threw him out. Tessa says he wanted to make amends. Mariah protests, “It’s all lies!” Ian is up to something and it’s not good.

In the sewer, Sharon hears someone calling her name. Nick appears and she says she knew he would come. He assures her she’s going to be OK and breaks the chains with his bare hands. Then he disappears into thin air. Sharon calls, “Nick? Nick?” She realizes that Nick wasn’t real and the drugs must still be in her system.

At Society, Summer thanks Chance for inviting her to meet him. Chance thinks they should do it again some time. She agrees. Nick comes in looking for news on Sharon. Chance says there’s no new information, but his guys are working around the clock. Chance makes a call and there’s still no update. Summer asks if her dad is sure Sharon didn’t run. Nick says she had no reason to do that. She was on track and looking forward to getting answers. Summer frowns, “None of this makes any sense.” Chance agrees. Finding Sharon’s car in the river with all of the doors and windows shut… it’s like she got out before it went in. Nick asks, “What if Sharon was never in the car in the first place?”

Jordan opens the door of the motel to Ian and asks where the hell he’s been. She dumps his coffee in the plant and demands answers. Ian doesn’t like her tone. Jordan doesn’t like him sneaking out without a word. He was attending to their business. She asks, “Ours or yours?” She points out he’s led their enemies to their door and are far from accomplishing what they set out to do. “So, Ian, what the hell is going on?”

Jordan points out Nick Newman threatened to kill him; is that part of the plan? Ian told the police the Newmans have it in for him… a chaplain. Jordan learns he went to Society to grow his connection with Tessa. Abby kicked him out, but he managed to convince Tessa he’s somewhat responsible for her well-being. He wants the best for her, Mariah, and Aria, and for Jordan as well. Jordan’s skeptical. Ian is sure once he gets back in good with the young women, there will be a clear path to Claire. Jordan seethes that he’s done nothing for her. She’s tired of him telling her to have patience. She’s not going to get screwed over. From now on, she’ll take her own agenda into her own hands. “I am terminating this partnership toute de suite.”

In the jazz lounge, Chelsea tells Victoria that this wasn’t Adam’s fault. They made this mistake together. She asks her not to bash him. Victoria says there’s no judgment, surprising Chelsea. Victoria says she has her issues with Adam, but he’s stepped up and has been a good father to Connor, who is a child in crisis. It makes sense they would have gotten closer, and no one would be surprised if they got back together. Chelsea tells her Victor also mentioned that to her. Suddenly, he’s cheerleading the cause. Victor smirks, “No pressure or anything.” She thinks he sees what she does… she and Adam are better together for Connor. Chelsea says they’re not her and Cole. They were given a miracle and fell back in love. She’s happy for her, but given their history, it would be a terrible idea for her and Adam to get back together. She admits Adam wants her to move into the ranch, but she told him it would be a romance-free zone. Victoria doesn’t think her moving in would be the worst idea.

At Society, Nick tells Summer and Chance that Sharon wouldn’t have had time to get out of the car after it went in the river. Someone else must have put it there. Nick tells Chance that Sharon was targeted and framed. What if the same person who tainted her meds also killed Heather? Chance sees this as a stretch. Summer guesses the person left Sharon to take the fall. Chance asks if Nick is proposing that it’s the same person who put her car in the river. Is this part of his whole Ian theory? Nick doesn’t think the timing could be a coincidence. It’s possible it is, but his gut is telling him otherwise.

In the sewer, Sharon continues to hear Nick’s voice telling her to hold on. He’ll find her and bring her home.

In the motel, Ian tells Jordan they’re a great team and are making progress. Jordan tells him he’s only used her to get what he wants and now the Newmans are crawling all over them. Ian blames her. She’s been careless. Nick got a hold of Sharon’s tainted meds and now there’s a police investigation. It’s inexcusable. Talk turns to Sharon and Jordan says he wanted her gone. “I did exactly that.” Ian wanted her dead, “But she isn’t. Is she?”

At Crimson Lights, Claire and Tessa urge Mariah to believe that Sharon is going to come home. Claire reminds her Ian may be horrible, but he has no power anymore. Nikki told her about his past. He was stopped before and will be stopped again. She muses that he and her Aunt Jordan are so much alike. She doesn’t know what she’d do if she had to come face to face with her again as Mariah had to with Ian. Mariah says it knocked the breath out of her. Claire tells them about overhearing the woman ordering Jordan’s drink earlier. What are the odds of someone ordering something so distinctive? She was so freaked out she called the prison, and they assured her she was still locked up. Mariah’s glad. They don’t need two crazies running around town. Claire tells Mariah and Tessa that if Jordan got out, she doesn’t know what she’d do. They go over her being sentenced for life. Mariah declares that they have to get Sharon home safe and sound and then they can deal with getting Ian out of their lives.

In the motel room, Ian tells Jordan that everything depends on Sharon’s body being found, Phyllis being framed, and Mariah seeking comfort in his arms. Hammering his fist on the table, Ian demands the truth about what happened with Sharon. Jordan won’t be grilled like some flunky. Ian complains that Sharon wasn’t even in the car… he overheard Chance talking to another cop. “What the hell did you do with Sharon?!”

In the jazz lounge, Chelsea tells Victoria that Connor wants her to move in with Adam on the ranch. She wants to be there for him. Victoria’s impressed with how he’s handled his OCD so far. Chelsea couldn’t be prouder. Victoria can’t tell her how much she admires her… and Adam for that matter. If Johnny or Katie were facing something like that, she doesn’t know what she’d do. Chelsea is sure she’d no exactly what to do. Victoria hopes she’ll consider moving for the sake of Connor’s mental health. She’s a good influence on Adam, who could use all the good influences he can get. Chelsea isn’t sure she’s ready to commit to living under the same roof as him again. Victoria says she’d be making a commitment to Connor. Chelsea says Adam doesn’t see the difference.

At Society, Chance makes a call and then tells Nick he knows he’s concerned about Ian targeting his family, but he was there when Sharon went missing. Summer admits that’s hard to explain. Nick wonders if he followed her and got to her. He recalls that Ian asked Tessa for a reservation for two on New Year’s. “What if he’s not working alone?” Nick goes on about needing clues. He asks Summer to keep Phyllis in her lane in the meantime. Summer says she’s sworn to back off of Sharon now. It’s a New Year’s resolution or something. She said they need to forget about their issues with Sharon and move on with their lives. She’s sure karma will kick in. Nick rolls his eyes. Summer tells her father that his theory that Sharon wasn’t in the car should give him some comfort. Nick worries someone is holding her hostage and letting them think she’s dead. What would be the motive and who would do something so extreme?

In the motel room, Jordan tells Ian that she put Sharon alone somewhere safe. She’ll never escape. Ian can’t understand what she’s thinking. Jordan has needs too, and if they’re not taken care of, she’ll take care of them herself. They bicker as Ian tells her she’s just created a new loose end. Jordan won’t stand for him belittling her. One person’s loose end could be another person’s insurance policy… especially now that their partnership is over. Ian croons about keeping her warm at night, but she grabs her things to leave. He warns that turning her back on him wouldn’t be wise. As a man of the cloth, he can’t find out about the murder of a young woman and stay silent, especially when he knows who the killer is. Jordan hisses that if he exposes her as Heather’s murderer, she’ll tell the police where Sharon is, and every shred of evidence will put him right there. Ian warns if she walks out the door, there’s no coming back. Jordan tells him good luck and to have a nice life… forever. She leaves and Ian yells in frustration.

At Crimson Lights, Claire walks inside from the patio as Jordan’s ordering again. She asks, “Jordan?” Jordan takes off with Claire on her heels.

Alone in the jazz lounge, Chelsea looks at a photo of her, Adam, and Connor and sighs. She calls him and asks if they can meet. She’s made a decision about moving to the ranch.

At Society, Chance is dismayed to hear that Nick went to confront Ian at his motel room. Nick had to look him in the eye and demand answers. “He denied it, of course.” Chance throws up his hands. He’s sure Nick didn’t threaten him. He warns that he needs to let the professionals handle this. Summer worries he’s working with someone as twisted as he is. Nick is convinced of it. Placing himself in a public place at the time Sharon went missing may just be one huge misdirection.

In the sewer, Shron sips her water and tugs on the chain. She wishes there was something she could use, some way out of there. Spotting a black pipe, she struggles to reach it.

In the parkette, Claire catches up with Jordan, who takes off her glasses and faces her. “Hello, Kitten.” Claire gawps, “My God, it is you!”