FEBRUARY 1974

Adam hears a rumor that DA Peter Quinn is going to challenge Adam for the party's senate nomination. Kevin rankles under Geraldine's pressure that he clear virtually all stories through her. He agrees to accept the newspaper's assignment to follow Adam's campaign. Phoebe realizes that she never gets to see Kevin, now that he is constantly with Geraldine on the campaign trail. Geraldine continues to notice similarities between Kevin and her dead son Keith.

Nicole visits her father in prison. Ben tells her that he called her there to persuade Adam not to run for the senate. Travis warns it will ruin their marriage. Nicole is shocked to learn her father is terminally ill, and she has mixed feelings when the governor agrees to pardon Ben into her custody. Considering Nicole's feelings instead of the voters', Adam arranges for Ben to live with them. At home, Ben continues to pressure Adam to give up politics, pointing out that Geraldine is virtually running his life.

With another gangland killing in Monticello, the crime commission is reconvened, and Mike Karr is appointed the chairmanship. It is felt two or more rival gangs have moved into the city. When Johnny refuses the mob's offer to buy into his New Moon Caf�, they return to terrorize and assault his employee Danny Micelli. Johnny tells Danny that if anything else happens, he will go to the police.

Realizing Vic has no intentions of reconciling, Laurie signs the separation papers and calls to say that she is bringing then over. Kay answers the phone and tells her to come by. When Laurie arrives, Kay makes sure that Laurie finds her in her bathrobe and Vic in the shower. Shocked, Laurie hands Kay the papers and leaves no message. Hurt and confused, she visits Johnny at the New Moon and resumes playing the piano there. Feeling this is another barrier between a reconciliation with Vic, Nancy is upset.

Walter LePage compliments Vic on his work but makes it clear that he sees Vic as an investment in Kay's future and will keep an eye on him for Kay. Vic replies that he is nobody's property.

Feeling bad for Martha, Liz Fields relents and allows her to visit Jason again. Once more, Martha assumes control of the baby. Jim warns Bill that Martha is becoming addicted to Jason and the situation has to stop. When Liz informs Martha that a regular babysitter for Jason has been hired, Martha is crushed. She becomes hysterical, raving that Liz is a poor mother, and then she collapses. Coming to, Martha realizes she needs help and agrees to see Jim professionally.

On tranquilizers, she visits Jason when the Fields are out, which upsets the babysitter and makes the situation worse. Nancy suggests Martha consider adoption. Martha agrees, and she visits Lt. Chandler's wife Ada, who runs an adoption agency. Learning their age would not be against them, Martha begins to file the papers. She is very happy and high spirited; sure she will become a mother. Bill meets with Ada and mentions that he feels adoption for him at this age is absolutely out of the question.

APRIL 1974

Everyone except Johnny Dallas is convinced that the mob had something to do with Mr. Roth's accident. Lt. Chandler, and then Mike Karr, asks Johnny to go undercover for the police to investigate the escalating crime in Monticello. Insulted, Johnny refuses to consider it.

Ben Travis' attempts to sidetrack and undermine Adam's senate campaign dissolve into sarcastic ranting and raving. Adam, with Nicole's support, decides that he will definitely try to win the nomination. Adam's speech is full of charisma, and a delighted Geraldine reports that Edward Hanley, chairman of the national committee, has dropped support of Peter Quinn for Adam. Ben insists to Morlock that he just can't succeed in getting Adam to quit politics. Ben is horrified when Morlock replies "you swore to us you'd make sure that he would not get the nomination and that's why you got out of prison". Ben suddenly realizes that Morlock is one of the criminal syndicate who approached him in prison about this issue. When Morlock adds that if Ben fails, Adam will be killed rather than allowed to run for the senate in the fall, Ben doesn't know what to do.

The night of the opening of the newly expanded New Moon Caf�, Ben learns that Adam already has enough signatures to enter the senate primary. On their way to the grand opening, Adam and Nicole are stopped by two muggers. Adam insists that he does not have any cash, only credit cards. One of the hoods grabs Nicole. Adam goes to take her back. The other hood pulls a switchblade and stabs Adam!

When Kevin develops a case of the flu, Geraldine moves him in to the Whitney Mansion. She repeatedly calls him Keith and professes her love, claiming she needs him there. Kevin warns her not to use her influence to further his career and consults with Jim about her need to identify him with her dead son. Unknown to Kevin, Geraldine discourages Phoebe from seeing him when she visits. Phoebe is furious and resentful. Explaining that she is very vulnerable, Tiffany begs Geraldine not to recreate Keith in Kevin and Colin in Adam. Tiffany remarks that if Geraldine does a good job with Adam, Tiffany might just fall in love with him.

The breach between Vic and Laurie widens, ironically, by fate. Hurt that Laurie is playing piano at the New Moon again, Vic files for divorce, as LePage presses Vic to propose to Kay, and Kay presses Vic to move in to her house. Vic decides he has to talk to Laurie first, but still reeling from the divorce action, she is with Johnny. When Vic walks by the restaurant, he sees them kissing. Vic then calls Kay and asks her to marry him. The following morning Laurie, while having breakfast with Phoebe in Vic's hotel, sees Vic and Kay come downstairs. Kay makes sure that Vic is forced to tell Laurie that he and Kay are getting married after the divorce is final. Later, Kay is upset when Vic gets drunk at the news that his divorce has been granted. Laurie happily finds that she can now tell Johnny that she loves him.

Determined that nothing will stand in their way in adopting Jennifer, Martha informs Bill that the private adoption includes $1400 for reimbursement expenses to Taffy Sims, and then she borrows $5600 from Liz Fields, as the actual amount agreed upon was $7000. With the money paid and the papers signed, baby Jennifer goes home with the Marceaus. Bill is tickled pink with his new daughter. Jim is amazed to learn from Liz the truth about the money and voices fears that the adoption is not legal. Meanwhile, Fairchild assures Martha that Taffy has left town. However, Martha is stunned when Taffy shows up demanding another $1000, since Fairchild took $1000 as his attorney's fee. Taffy warns she won't leave town until Martha pays the difference. Fairchild threatens Taffy for going to the Marceaus' house. Bill insists that Fairchild set up a meeting with Taffy to warn her about blackmail, and only Martha's fear of losing Jennifer stops him from having Ms. Sims arrested.

Danny Micelli and Babs Werner, a waitress who had a crush on Johnny, discover how much they have in common and realize they are falling in love. When Danny asks Babs to marry him, she happily says yes.

JUNE 1974

Luke Chandler, investigating the increased outbreak in violent crimes, recognizes Harry Johnson, a wanted criminal from Detroit. Luke suspects that Johnson may have been the one who assaulted Adam at the opening of the New Moon Caf�. Luke has Johnson detained for resisting arrest pending extradition to Detroit. Paul Fairchild represents Johnson and coolly asks Bill to release Johnson from Monticello, allowing him to return and face charges in Detroit. Bill realizes this would conveniently remove Johnson from Monticello, before Adam could return from the Caribbean and positively identify him. When Taffy Sims shows up again at Martha's, she allows her to believe that Johnson is her boyfriend, and says it would jeopardize the adoption if he were jailed locally. Since she further insinuates to Bill that she may depart for Detroit with Johnson, Bill, concerned for Martha's precarious mental health, finally orders a puzzled Luke to release Johnson for extradition immediately.

Kevin promises Phoebe that he will leave the Whitney mansion and Geraldine's clutches, but acquiesces "temporarily" when the news regarding Adam's disaster in the Caribbean seems more than Geraldine can handle. Phoebe delivers an ultimatum - they won't see each other "temporarily" until Kevin does leave the house. Just how permanent the separation will be is up to him. Kevin plays on Phoebe's sympathies, telling her his life is in constant danger from the gangsters that he is reporting on.

Vic and Kay Lamont, just married, appear to be on rocky ground already. Vic is broken up about the news of his close friend, Adam. Fear mounts for Adam's and Nicole's safety as their friends and family wait for meager news bulletins from St. Anthony about the fate of the survivors. Through some miracle, a rescue boat finds Adam floating among debris, slightly injured, but alive. The stunning news of Adam's sole rescue reaches Monticello, and everyone is grief stricken over Nicole's apparent death. Ben Travis blames his weak will for permitting the destruction of his adored daughter. When Ben confronts Morlock with a gun, he realizes that Morlock's death, or any attempt on his part to expose the truth, would mean his own sudden and violent death. This realization about his cowardice renders him an ineffectual, broken man.

Geraldine and Tiffany argue bitterly over Geraldine's pending departure to St. Anthony to be with Adam. Tiffany feels Geraldine is more concerned about making sure the senatorial campaign is not interrupted, while Tiffany admittedly loves Adam and is deeply concerned about his welfare, empathizing with his loss. Arriving in St. Anthony, the two women realize that although Adam is physically fine, emotionally he has become obsessesd with the notion that Nicole is still alive, and she has been saved by some passing vessel that has not reported it yet. Adam demands that Lt. Hewlett of the local police trace down every ship in the surrounding islands, an impossible task. Enraged by the lieutenant's refusal, Adam attacks him and is arrested. Despite Geraldine's attempts to keep this quiet, the news leaks out, and political enemies have a field day with the possibility that Adam has become completely unbalanced and is no longer senate material. Mike rushes to the island, and appealing to Adam's rational mind, makes him realize the truth about Nicole's death. Adam, Mike and the Whitney's, enroute home by air, read about Malcolm Dimes' suicide. Adam learns that Dimes was under investigation for alleged mob connections and was due to give testiomony. This fact and the report that the police found a bomb fragment in the Sprite's wreckage fires Adam's obsession for a thorough investigation.

Back in Monticello, Floyd Porter arrives with blistered hands rubbed raw from his rapid escape by rowboat after setting the bomb on board the Sprite.

Newlyweds Danny and Babs Micelli return from their honeymoon to their jobs at the New Moon. Babs inadvertently overhears Floyd speaking on the phone to Morlock. Later, when Floyd drunkenly tries to kiss Babs, Danny stabs Floyd's hand with a fork. Danny feels it is fair retribution for injuries Floyd caused him when he crushed his hands in the piano at the New Moon. Babs, in an effort to apologize and ward off any other possible assaults, goes to Floyd's apartment. Morlock arrives, while Floyd hides Babs in the closet. Morlock proceeds to talk more "business" about the Sprite bombing, and then accidentally discovers Babs hiding. Danny, frantic over Babs' sudden disappearance, reports it to the police. Luke, suspicious about Floyd's fight with Danny, discovers that Floyd has disappeared also. Later, Danny is called to headquarters and tragically has to identify the body of his beloved wife, who was found shot to death in a nearby wooded area.

Nancy insists that Laurie invite Johnny Dallas home for lunch, but when he makes a surprise impromptu proposal, Nancy and Mike are shocked and disturbed.

AUGUST 1974

Adam keeps an appointment with Assistant District Attorney O.B. Henderson, who has dealt with George Kelso and knows he is a "straight forward" syndicate man-- that his tip about who was the intended victim aboard the Sprite was probably correct. Asst. DA Henderson turns out to be an attractive, vigorously independent woman named Olivia Brandeis Henderson--Brandy for short. As Adam leaves the building, he recognizes Harry Johnson as one of the assailants in his mugging. Johnson, garbed in a chauffeur's uniform, flees into a limousine, but Adam calls Bill to have Johnson picked up. Later, Adam accepts Vic's dinner invitation to meet his new wife and influential father-in-law. Everyone is stunned when LePage's chauffeur turns out to be Harry Johnson!

LePage claims he had no idea Johnson was a criminal, then Johnson is taken into custody. Paul Fairchild threatens to terminate the Marceau adoption if Bill doesn't pull strings and release Johnson within three days. When Martha becomes overwrought to the point of hallucinations about losing Jennifer and then promises to leave her husband, Bill desperately submits to Fairchild's blackmail. Bill starts to write a memo to Brandy stating "certain new facts regarding Johnson's alibi have been substantially corroborated", when Kevin, there on assignment to publicize the new Police Headquarters building, interrupts Bill. While dining at the New Moon Caf�, Harry Johnson, released on bail, is approached by Cheats, the hood who actually stabbed Adam during the mugging. Cheats claims Johnson "ratted" on him in order to get released. An argument ensues, and Cheats produces a gun, which he uses to shoot Johnson to death. As Bill and Kevin talk, word comes that Johnson, temporarily released on bail, has been shot and killed. Bill crumples and discards the memo to Brandy and leaves his office. Suspicious, Kevin takes the memo from the garbage can and vows to discover why Bill seems to be doing favors for the underworld. Despite intense opposition from Mike Karr and Phoebe, Kevin pursues his investigation, putting Luke on the defensive.

Faced with the possibility that Gordon and Colin Whitney's deaths were not accidental but political assassinations engineered by the same people responsible for Adam's attempted murder, Tiffany appeals to Adam to uncover the truth. Brandy tells Adam that although Morlock has no criminal record, there was a scandal concerning him and a young girl when he attended an Ivy-League college on a scholarship, resulting in his expulsion. Embittered and jobless, Morlock turned to the world of crime. She also shows Adam two medical reports regarding Ben Travis' terminal illness and suggests that Ben may not be a dying man after all. Adam threatens Ben with another medical exam, forcing him to confess that he was released from prison solely to stop Adam's senatorial campaign. Adam leaves to confront Morlock with this information.

At the Karr engagement party for Laurie and Johnny, Vic shows up drunk and throws a punch at Johnny. When Kay learns of Vic's visit to the Karr's, they argue bitterly, and LePage vows to make Vic pay for hurting Kay. With Johnny's acceptance of a dubious shipment of boxes marked "Delaware Foods", Danny becomes suspicious. Opening the crates, Danny discovers that they contain an arsenal of guns. He confronts Johnny,and infuriated, Danny quits his job. Johnny calls Floyd Porter and tells him that the guns put his parole in jeopardy, so he won't play ball anymore. Porter rushes to Morlock's apartment just in time to find Adam there. Adam, who has come to demand the truth from Morlock about his mob dealings, suspects that merchant seaman Porter may be the missing sailor who left the Sprite just before the bomb exploded. When Adam and Brandy present their theory to Bill, they are surprised that Bill isn't more willing to listen. Luke pledges to find the evidence to convict Porter.

OCTOBER 1974

Martha can't help but feel responsible for Bill's decision to resign from the police force. When Taffy, Fairchild, and Morlock learn of Bill's resignation, they plot to regain control of the situation. Sims and Fairchild present the Marceaus with a court order to regain Jennifer. The Marceaus contact Mike and Adam, and they discover that since six months is not up yet, the adoption isn't final. Taffy can reclaim Jennifer. In a tearful parting, Taffy takes Jennifer from Martha and unleashes a tirade against the Marceaus, driving an emotionally strained Martha to desperately attack Taffy. Requiring restraint from Jim and Liz Fields, Martha cries out that she could kill Taffy Sims. When Martha brings Jennifer's belongings to Taffy's apartment, Fairchild says that they will never let her see the baby again unless Bill reconsiders his resignation.

Puzzled by Taffy's cruelty, Adam becomes the Marceau's legal council. He visits Sims and learns that she will not let them see Jennifer again. Furthermore, Jennifer may be sick, and her mother doesn't appear to be too concerned. Appalled, Adam leaves. Taffy, bitter about having the child cramp her style again, threatens Morlock and Fairchild with the news that she'll tell Drake everything unless she sees some real money fast. Sensing from Adam that something was wrong with Jennifer, Martha calls Taffy and learns about Jennifer's alleged fever. Martha sneaks out of the house, heading straight to Taffy's apartment. Finding Martha gone and fearing she may have gone to see the baby, Bill calls Taffy, but she tells him that Martha is not there. Bill continues the search. Meanwhile, Martha enters the apartment and sees that Taffy has locked the "sick" baby in the bedroom. Martha is horrified at the sight of a loaded gun, which Taffy keeps "just laying around for protection". Taffy, rolling her hair, becomes vile and abusive. Martha picks up the gun and threatens her to open the door. Taffy turns suddenly to throw Martha out and the gun goes off!

Taffy collapses into a heap before an astonished Martha. Fairchild knocks and enters from the hallway. Examining Taffy, Fairchild declares that she is dead. "You've killed her," he tells a stunned Martha. Fairchild persuades Martha not to contact the police, but rather, to leave immediately since no one knows Martha was there. Fairchild reasons that while confessing won't bring Taffy back to life, it will ruin Martha's life. Martha returns home, lying to Bill and Adam that she just drove around to clear her head instead of confronting Taffy. Fairchild makes a police statement that he saw a shabby man running away from Taffy's apartment, probably an armed intruder wanting to rob her, though nothing appeared to have been taken, and the murder weapon is missing from the scene of the crime. Ada Chandler, representing the welfare agency, examines Jennifer and returns her to the Marceaus' temporary custody. Adam pleads their case before the judge and obtains a swift decision-- Jennifer is legally theirs. With their troubles apparently over, Bill returns to work. His first case is to find Taffy Sims' murderer. Martha, still haunted by the murderous sound of the gunshot, still shows puzzling signs of nervous fatigue which worries Bill.

From the sudden arrival of Angela Hillyer, Jim and Liz Fields learn that Liz'z father Orin has suffered a stroke. Angela confides to Liz that he has become hostile and claims that Angela is being unfaithful. Unable to contact her father directly, Liz decides, against Jim's wishes, that she and Angela should return to Italy with baby Jason.

Following his split from Phoebe, Kevin returns to the Whitney mansion. Tiffany accuses her mother-in-law of trying to incorporate the qualities of both Colin and Keith into Kevin. Tiffany, who coincidentally appears whenever Adam and Brandy dine together, has her curiosity aroused when Noel Douglas approaches her table. Noel suggests they have a great deal in common and could perhaps be of service to each other's "mutual interests".

Still grieving over Nicole, Adam finds himself drawn to Brandy but backs off from a deep commitment feeling, that he can not promise her that yet.

When Vic berates Laurie about her upcoming marriage to a criminal, she blurts out that Johnny is actually working undercover for the crime commission. Vic later congratulates LePage for not buying into the dubious company that owns the New Moon, but wonders why LePage man isn't more grateful for his advice. Privately, Vic tells Kay that he was wrong about Johnny's character and that Laurie is lucky to have landed him. Kay is puzzled by Vic's sudden change of mind. Meanwhile, Morlock warns Johnny that Drake has become too inquisitive and may have to be permanently stopped.

Johnny learns from Morlock that Floyd Porter was the one who bombed The Sprite, and that the mob will not let him bring them down. He passes this on to Mike and Bill ,but police protection is too late. Porter is stabbed and killed in the prison shower!

Tracy Dallas, Johnny's sister, arrives for his wedding to Laurie. Tracy insists she is clean from dope and would be grateful for a warm reception from her big brother, who once went to jail because he attacked the man who supplied her with drugs. When she is introduced to the Karrs, Tracy invents a larger-than-life account of her past, disturbing Johnny, who is already upset over her constant demands for large sums of money. Danny resumes working at the New Moon, and one day he discovers Tracy with her hand in the till. She insists she has a right to her brother's money.

DECEMBER 1974

Mike is hospitalized and then ordered to mandatory bed rest for his case of hepatitis. Adam, menwhile, becomes increasingly more attracted to Brandy. Matters take a turn for the worse, though, when DA Ira Paulson assigns Brandy to the Marceau trial. She confronts Adam with her fear that opposing each other in court will affect their feelings for one another. Paulson further demands that Brandy not see Adam socially for the duration of the trial. This angers Adam, prompting him to reject all possibilities of detrimental publicity which could harm the case. Martha's fragile emotional state makes it necessary for Adam to accept an early trial date, even though they don't have hard evidence to prove she didn't have intent to murder.

Brandy opens the trial by impressing upon the jury that there can be no excuse for Martha taking the law into her own hands, and for Martha's later concealment of the crime. Paulson prevents Brandy from going to a festive holiday gathering at the Karr's with Adam. The prosecution's first witness is Luke Chandler, who testifies about Martha's outspoken hatred of Taffy. Bill fears this has damaged the case badly.

Kevin receives an anonymous call from a man, who claims to have the Sims' murder weapon for sale. Adam is pleased. Kevin obtains $5000 from the paper and makes the transaction, but shortly afterward, he is knocked unconscious from behind by another man and loses both the money and the gun. Adam is severely dejected. The weapon was the one piece of evidence that could have proved Martha's story of a defective "hair" trigger. Kevin, more humiliated than injured, can not be consoled by Phoebe ,who accepts his marriage proposal. Unbeknownest to them, Geraldine has secret plans to make Kevin the heir to her vast estate and does not approve of his choice of profession or future wife.

Tiffany finds Noel Douglas both attractive and infuriating. Not certain if he is really interested in her or her money, she finds Noel's cavalier attitude toward her upsetting. She admits she feels helpless about Adam's attraction to Brandy and is furious after she learns of Noel's recent visit to Brandy. When Noel arrives very late for a date, Tiffany accuses him of being at Brandy's first, and then sends him away. Later, after his apology, she agrees to date him again.

Danny and Tracy are constantly at each other's throats. He can't forget that she appears to be a thief and a liar, but for the sake of keeping peace in the family, he doesn't tell Johnny about Tracy's episode at the jeweler's. Confronting her about her supposed large lifestyle in Chicago, Danny finds out Tracy's former address and confirms that she did live in the upscale apartment. Danny wonders what profession would allow her to live such an extravagant lifestyle. When Noel Douglas arrives alone for dinner at the New Moon, Tracy recognizes him and tries to avoid him. Later, he corners her in the cloakroom, and when she rebuffs his advances, he offers her money for the privilege. Danny and Laurie are puzzled by Noel's interest in Tracy and her violent destruction of a note Noel left for her. On Christmas day, lonely and bitter over his memories of his late wife Babs, Danny grieves for the family that they will never have. Breaking down, he turns to an equally desolate and sympathetic Tracy.

FEBRUARY 1975

Adam recalls Paul Fairchild to the stand in a vain attempt to get him to admit that Taffy Sims was shot after Martha left the apartment. Adam has no recourse but to plead with the prosecution for a continuance so that he can prove his theory that Morlock and Fairchild engineered the whole plot to control Police Chief Marceau. But, Adam is denied the continuance, and he prepares his summation for the jury - hoping that he can persuade them of Martha's innocence. Mike, almost completely recovered from hepatitis, plans to be at Adam's side when court reconvenes. Ira Paulson, feeling guilty about causing a rift between Adam and Brandy, agrees to go to the Karr home and offer the defense an opportunity for Martha to plead guilty - hopefully gaining a lesser prison sentence. Adam adamantly refuses to consider their suggestion, because he firmly believes in Martha's innocence, but agrees to contact her and present her with this distasteful option.

Kevin is surprised and pleased to learn from Geraldine that he is to have a new and prestigious assignment as a world crime correspondent when the trial is over. He is unaware that Geraldine maneuvered the assignment in order to separate him from Phoebe. Kevin tells Phoebe that this would be a romantic honeymoon. Geraldine is not pleased by this as she does not want Kevin and Phoebe to marry. Joe Pollock tells Kevin that he must leave within a week to cover an important murder trial in London. Phoebe, unable to commit herself to hasty wedding plans, breaks off her relationship with Kevin.

Tiffany is swept off her feet by Noel Douglas' marriage proposal. She tells Geraldine that she will accept no matter her objections. Geraldine feels her daughter-in-law doesn't know enough about the background of Douglas' background and fears that he may be a fortune hunter. Geraldine is further disturbed to learn Tiffany plans to move from the mansion when she marries and fears being left alone in the large house.

Walter LePage learns that Kay has invited Johnny and Laurie to finner. He viciously berates John's character. In defense, Vic blurts out the truth that Johnny is really working undercover for the cops. Furious, LePage contacts Morlock who arranges to have Johnny murdered in an early evening robbery at the New Moon so no suspicion would fall on the mob.

Vic goes to the New Moon to pick the Dallas' up for dinner. Otis and Vinnie enter and hold up the restaurant. They hold the patrons at gunpoint and take all the loot. Finally as they are about to leave, one of the hoods turns to confront Johnny. Thinking it's all over, Johnny begins to walk away to call the police. As the hood asks Johnny where he is going, "You going for a gun" You're going for a gun, huh?" he fires a shot at his intended victim. However, Johnny has stepped further out of the line of fire and Vic is shot instead! The crooks flee. Vic is rushed to the hospital. Before wife Kay can reach the hospital, Vic dies with Johnny at his side. LePage is enraged that Johnny is still alive and orders Morlock to take care of that matter himself.

Because it appears that Johnny was the intended victim, Mike and the crime commission plan to expose Johnny's cover hoping to remove all retaliatory threats to his life. Alone at the New Moon, Johnny waits to tell Danny the truth about his undercover work. Morlock arrives to kill Johnny; however, Danny comes in just as Morlock has his gun trained on Dallas and interrupts the murder. Thwarted, Morlock viciously lashes out with cruel innuendoes about Babs to Danny. He lets slip that he knew Babs went to Floyd Porter's apartment on the night she was murdered. Danny lunges at Morlock and they have a brief fight before Johnny breaks them up and sends Morlock away. Danny says that he felt a gun strapped to Morlock and guesses that he came there to kill Johnny.

Otis and Vinnie go to Morlock for payment for their job at the New Moon. Morlock gives them keys to a blue sedan parked on the corner and the address of a cabin in the country where their money will be found. The thugs get in the car and drive toward the country cabin. However, as they reach the steep winding country roads, they discover that the breaks have failed, as they rapidly approach a precipice. They turn the steering wheel rapidly and then throw their hands up in horror as the car spins wildly out of control and crashes!

Later Danny goes to Lt. Chandler to tell him about Morlock and his possible involvement in Babs' murder, but Luke is too preoccupied about the discovery of Otis and Vinnie's bodies at the bottom of a gorge. Not getting any immediate satisfaction from Luke, Danny goes to confront Morlock and somehow force the truth out of him. Morlock denies everything. He asks Danny to leave so that he can return a call to LePage. Danny defiantly searches the room for the gun to prove Morlock had intended to kill Johnny. He discovers it in a bureau. Morlock tries to take the gun away from Micelli. The two men struggle over it. They tumble on to the bed. Locked in a life and death embrace, a shot rings out!

APRIL 1975

Mike and Adam accept a difficult plagiarism suit against Capitol City Adelphi Publishers. They find valuable help in ending the case from Serena Faraday. Adam, curious about Serena who is Nicole's cousin, is caught in the personal problems of Serena and her husband Mark, who works for the publishers. The Faradays recently went through an acrimonious divorce. Mark explains his ambivalent feelings toward Serena, who has gained custody of their son Timmy. Serena, secretive about her early vagabond life as a child, appears to be privately tormented and reluctant to be friendly with Adam. Adam returns home after wrapping up the lawsuit expecting never to hear from either Faraday again, but he discovers that Mark has sent him an oil portrait of Serena as a gift. Later a distraught Serena calls and says that Mark has virtually kidnapped their son Timmy from his boarding school and refuses to relinquish the boy. Mark charges Serena openly of being an unfit mother because of repeated affairs, which she vehemently denies, and accuses Adam of being blind to the type of woman she is because he has fallen in love with her.

Quentin Henderson sets up his new psychiatric practice in Monticello with the help of his assistant Phoebe and his sister Brandy. Quentin is concerned for Brandy's depressed mood since her break up with Adam. Conversely, Phoebe is delighted when she and Kevin, recently returned from Europe, set a wedding date of June 6, the 3-month deadline Phoebe promised Geraldine she would wait so that Kevin won't be disinherited. Geraldine shows interest in the fact that Phoebe's new employer is young, handsome, and single.

The Monticello crime rate still soars even with Morlock's capture. The police fear they haven't got the hidden "man at the top." Walter LePage must answer to his superiors for Johnny's undercover spying for the police. Gerald Kincaid, sent by the mob, checks on Johnny at the New Moon and warns him his "business partner" will not tolerate further police association. Johnny is later puzzled at a slip of the tongue by LePage, who states that Vic was killed while saving Johnny's life. Johnny wonders how LePage knew about Johnny's undercover work before it became public knowledge.

Laurie miscarries her baby and worries everyone when she cannot cry. Laurie irrationally insists that she killed Vic twice, since she feels completely at fault over his death - and for losing the child she and Johnny were to name for him.

Tiffany and Noel Douglas return home early from their honeymoon because of Noel's "pressing business affairs." Unknown to Tiffany, Noel now has control of her fortune and has set Tracy Dallas up in a luxury apartment for his private entertainment. Tracy quits her job at the New Moon, lying about having a new high paying fashion job and making Danny think that he is losing her to this glamorous new life.

MAY 1975

Mark Faraday allows Adam to act for Serena and convinces him to return Timmy to his mother. Embittered by 10 years of an unfaithful marriage, Mark warns Adam that he will only be hurt if he pursues a relationship with Serena. In order to repay Adam for his help, Serena arranges a dinner date at her apartment after her long journey of driving Timmy back to boarding school. Adam arrives and learns from the building super that Serena returned already but left with a suitcase. A puzzled Adam returns to Monticello believing he had been stood up. He learns from Tiffany, Serena's old friend from school, that as a teenager, Serena used to suffer memory lapses. Meanwhile at the New Moon Caf� a group of boisterous patrons arrive and one, a woman named Josie, who bears a striking resemblance to Serena, makes obvious persistent plays for Johnny.

Brandy is appointed the liaison between the DA's office and the Crime Commission. Adam congratulates her and realizes how much he has missed her since their separation. They rekindle the romance. Quentin is concerned because he feels that Adam may hurt his sister again.

Tiffany decides to pay her old friend Serena a visit in Capitol City. When they return to Serena's apartment, they find the place in shambles and the message "Prepare to die" written in lipstick across the living room mirror. Since nothing appears to be stolen, Serena accuses Mark of this vindictive act but refuses to press charges when the police arrive. Serena pleads with Tiffany to go to Adam and tell him that she needs his help - not only legally, but to help her put her life back in order. She claims that all her life she needed someone with Adam's strength and kindness and fears that a misunderstanding has ruined her relationship with him. Serena says that she was asleep in the apartment when Adam arrived for their date. That night Tiffany is aroused by a phone call from Mark who has taken back the oil portrait he sent to Adam and wants to return it to Serena. Tiffany discovers that her hostess has dressed and disappeared. Tiffany returns home, deeply troubled by Serena's strange behavior and by Mark's seemingly irrational vindictiveness. She arranges to speak to Adam who reluctantly agrees to get in touch with Serena.

Meanwhile, the seductive Josie returns to the New Moon and finds a receptive ear when Gerald Kincaid is attracted to her fictitious claims about an affair with Johnny. Mark enters Serena's apartment with his own key and replaces the portrait. After he leaves, Josie arrives, finds a pair of scissors, and slashes the portrait in a violent frenzy.

Johnny finds himself entangled with the mob again when Kincaid graphically threatens Laurie's life by showing Johnny how easily a bomb can be placed next to his wife anytime. Kincaid demands that Johnny spy on father-in-law Mike Karr, who heads the Crime Commission, and discover the name of the secret witness who plans to expose everything about Monticello's organized crime. In return, Johnny will get his freedom from further mob obligations and complete ownership of the New Moon.

Desperate to become pregnant again, Laurie becomes completely hysterical when tests show that she is not pregnant. Nancy feels she should wait a while to completely recover from the first miscarriage and Vic's death. Nancy and Mike wish they could make their daughter realize that she was not responsible for her miscarriage or Vic's death.

At the Whitney Mnasion, Kevin accidentally leaves with Noel's briefcase. To discover Noel's whereabouts in oredr to return it the briefcase, Kevin opens it and discovers the lease to a luxury apartment signed by Tracy Dallas. Kevin learns of Noel's infidelity when the doorman at the apartment building confirms his suspicions. Meanwhile, to keep Kevin from moving out after his marriage to Phoebe, Geraldine plans to fake a "heart attack" so that her "son" will have to stay and nurse her back to health. She gets some pills from Dr. Lacey under false pretences. Upon returning home she takes them, and her pressure starts to rise. Kevin rushes home to tell Geraldine the truth about Noel and is badly shaken when it appears that Geraldine has had a heart attack brought on by her concern for Tiffany's welfare.

JULY 1975

After driving Timmy back to his boarding school, Adam returns home, perplexed about Serena's disappearance, and tells a pleased Brandy and Quentin that he has become involved with Mrs. Faraday for the last time. Suddenly, Adam is contacted by the Capitol City police and learns that Serena was found barely alive in a tenderloin hotel - apparently after attempting suicide by taking an overdose of pills. Pressured by Brandy, Adam rushes to Serena, only to find she has no idea of how this happened or where she was after saying goodbye to Adam before the weekend. She admits these "blackouts" are serious and says that she needs professional help. When Mark hears of the suicide attempt, he tells Adam he plans to take Timmy away from the "unfit" mother. Investigating the attempted suicide, Adam interrogates the motel desk clerk, who claims he saw a dark haired woman enter Serena's room. Adam jumps to the conclusion that this may be a possible attempted murder.

Under the direction of Gerald Kincaid, Josie takes up the task of disrupting the Dallas marriage. Kincaid has a spy network so entrenched that it includes Brandy?s private secretary! He wants Mike Karr's every move watched by his son-in-law Johnny and is uses Josie to drive a wedge between the already quarreling couple. Laurie is ecstatic to learn she's pregnant again, but after another near-miscarriage, she becomes pathologically over-protective of herself, which results in a widening rift between her and Johnny. She finally moves out and back to her parents, where she tells Nancy about Johnny's "affair" with another woman. Deciding to go to the New Moon for a possible reconciliation with Johnny, Laurie is met with the horrifying site of Josie brazenly kissing Johnny. Unknown to Laurie, Josie only did that when she saw her enter the restaurant.

Nancy's concern for Mike's safety is somewhat reduced when Mike reveals his plans to resign from the Crime Commission, because he feels personally responsible for Ernie Casper's murder. Later, Mike reconsiders when it is pointed out that his resignation would result in a victory celebration by the mob. Also, Mike prepares to deal with the unexpected offer of valuable inside information from Walter LePage. Fearing for his life, LePage offers to make a secret deal with Mike - demanding immunity, secrecy, and assistance in fleeing Monticello in return for the names of people only the head of the crime syndicate could know. LePage warns Mike their plan better work... or else they will both be dead men.

Josie has a momentary brush with Adam and Brandy at the New Moon but passes by them totally unrecognized by Adam. She returns to Kincaid's apartment, where she has been staying while working for him. When Serena suddenly awakens and finds herself in this strange apartment, she is shaken, bewildered, and runs to Adam's resident hotel suite , where he and Brandy are making plans for a weekend trip. Much to Brandy's displeasure, Serena enlists Adam's help in getting a room at the Monticello Arms.

Tracy returns to waitressing when Noel cuts off all financial support. Danny is happy about Tracy's return, but is sympathetic to her loss of what everyone thinks was a high paying fashion job.

Geraldine's fake heart attack successfully ends Kevin's engagement. Suspicious after a doctor visit, Kevin confronts Geraldine about the EKG test, which showed no change from previous ones and the perfect timing of the attack in canceling his marriage.