For Aiden Jennings if it’s not one crime it’s another.
More than a couple town residents have Brazil on the mind,
and nearly all have one reason or another to visit Value Vision.
A morose Bronco finds himself again in Minos Park. The abundance of litter only exacerbates his morning melancholy. His parents call and wish him a happy Easter but he’s not sure there’s much to be happy about. His mother offers a new excuse for not going to Hawaii, but Bronco’s not buying it. While Dad’s rare orchid disease may be a reason for not going to Hawaii, it’s no reason for going to Brazil. Not knowing where else to go, Bronco spends over an hour in the park identifying birds by sound, rehearsing a call to Laredo Travel Agency, and questioning trends toward mobility.
In Minos Park, Aiden walks by where the bench used to be, circles back and finds the key under a rock just as the Receptionist promised. One of Stefano’s shoeless goons, having been thirty steps behind Aiden all morning, inspects the rock and resumes tailing Aiden.
From the couch in her living room, Hope wonders what’s keeping Aiden. She makes a list of what she’ll need for the stakeout at the Berkeley plaza with Rafe. She makes a note to pick up some Advil on the way there. Aiden gets home and confronts Hope on her plan to break into the DiMera mansion in search of the other half of the lost gold coin. He wants to support her but is concerned for her safety and that harm may come to her family. Hope details John’s finding in Brazil and thinks that the mind-control formula inside the coin is worth its destruction. After Hope leaves for Walgreens to get Advil, Aiden, alone, wonders if generic Advil is just as good because he may have some in the kitchen. On his way to the kitchen he glances at his watch and wonders aloud if Value Vision is still open.
Using the key the Receptionist left him in Minos Park, Aiden sneaks into Value Vision after hours. He rifles through the filing cabinets and eventually selects a few folders. He stashes them in his gym bag and makes for the door, but after hearing some strange noises coming from the basement, goes down to investigate. At the bottom of the stairs he finds a partially open sliding metal door with a heavy deadbolt. He peeks through the crack and sees Dr. Charles delivering a tray of food to a haggard looking man lying on the floor. Aiden backs away quietly, and in his haste, forgets to leave the key as instructed.
Sprawled on the couch at home, Hope eats chips from the bag and awaits Aiden’s return. It’s late. She sighs heavily. Aiden attempts to sneak into the house but Hope is waiting. She confronts him about the ancient dagger he’s been keeping in his gym bag, telling him she knows the dagger belongs to Stefano DiMera after getting a full report from Bronco. Aiden is silent. Before leaving for the stakeout, Hope suggests that if they are to get out of Stefano’s grasp, they need to work together, like a team. Aiden sits dumbly as Hope struggles with her bag and backs out the front door. Pondering the depths of Hope and Rafe’s relationship, Aiden fears it may be evolving beyond “professional.”
Back at Value Vision, the lights are dim as the Receptionist frantically searches for the office key that Aiden was supposed to leave behind. He gets Aiden on the phone, but Aiden is hardly concerned with the key and desperately conveys his discovery of Dr. Charles’s alleged basement “prison.” Aiden urges the Receptionist to get out of there NOW. He also suggests that it’s not too early to get updated resumes out there. The Receptionist agrees and begins packing up his things. Before he can make his exit, Dr. Charles shows up to the office, wanting to finalize the flier he requested be made for his other business as a “life coach.” Dr. Charles requests that each pull tab, individually cut of course, contain a shooting star image at 20% opacity. Giving the OK on the flier, Dr. Charles asks the Receptionist why he’s packing up all of his things. The Receptionist says he recently read a book on de-cluttering and has since committed to a weekly cleanse - a total cleanse. The doctor leaves with two cans of fancy bubbly water. Relieved, worried, and stunned, the Receptionist slowly, and with one eye on the door, packs the rest of his belongings.
As part her of stakeout with Rafe, Hope enters Value Vision. She eats a few chips, decides to kneel so they can talk eye to eye, and asks the Receptionist if he has seen anything unusual. Unsure of how to respond, the Receptionist denies seeing any suspicious activity in the area. Hope leaves two business cards and returns to the stakeout. The Receptionist decides to get out fast and throws the food and drinks into his box before making an exit.
After a couple hours in the park to decompress, the Receptionist concludes that a proper exit warrants an official notice of resignation. He creeps into Value Vision, scrawls his final words on a marker board he found in the park, and mutters a wary goodbye as he leaves the lights on to spite Dr. Charles.
Meet the new Receptionist, same as the old Receptionist.