Connie claims another victim; Days of our Lives recap for September 17, 2024

In the Brady Pub, Roman asked Ava about her late rent. Ava apologized. Roman explained that he had wanted to give Ava leeway, since she had lost her job, but he needed her to start making payments. “I am gonna pay you back as soon as I find work,” Ava said. Roman offered Ava her old job back as a temporary solution.

“I talked to a server here, and she told me you are cutting shifts,” Ava said. Roman explained that he was closing the pub two days a week for Kate to shoot the soap opera. “So, you actually don’t need to hire anyone, do you?” Ava asked. “Not really,” Roman admitted. Roman joked that he would find work for Ava to do in order to pay her rent. “And besides, I kind of like having you around,” Roman said. “Even after everything I did to your family?” Ava asked. Roman reiterated that everyone made mistakes and deserved forgiveness.

Paulina was leaving the Brady Pub when Stefan called her from the DiMera mansion to talk about E.J. “If what you are saying about E.J. is true, this is very troubling indeed,” Paulina said. “It’s the truth, sadly. And I had to do my civic duty and report it, even at my brother’s expense,” Stefan said solemnly. Paulina scoffed at Stefan’s fake sadness.

E.J. was reviewing paperwork in bed when a lingerie-clad Gabi entered his bedroom. “Good morning, handsome,” Gabi said. “Um, good morning?” E.J. said. Gabi suggested that she and E.J. should celebrate Rafe’s revival from his coma. “I was under the impression that our night of passion was a one-time thing. The sole purpose of which was to get revenge on Stefan,” E.J. said. Gabi agreed, and she confirmed that their plan had been a success.

“I thought that we could reward ourselves with an encore performance,” Gabi whispered. Gabi kissed E.J. After a moment, E.J. groaned and pulled himself away. E.J. argued that it was a bad idea because they hated one another. “As hate sex goes, it was pretty hot. You said so yourself,” Gabi countered. “I did, and while I stand by that assessment, you also had buyer’s remorse the next morning, as I recall,” E.J. said. Gabi explained that she had been unsure about her feelings for Stefan, but she had become certain that she hated Stefan.

As Gabi caressed E.J.’s cheek, he gently took her hand away. E.J. argued that if they continued their fling, Stefan could use it against Gabi in the divorce. “How? He cheated on me first,” Gabi said. Gabi pushed for a second round, but E.J. leaned away with a chuckle.

“I’m that irresistible, am I? Or are you doubling down just for the hell of it?” E.J. said. “I want to punish [Stefan] as much as humanly possible,” Gabi said. E.J. shook his head. “You already have. At this point, I think the only person you’re intent on punishing is yourself,” E.J. said. Gabi brushed off the accusation, and she stressed that she only wanted to have fun.

With a shake of his head, E.J. noted that Johnny had cautioned that with a fling, E.J. had potentially destroyed the family “out of misplaced rage towards Eric and Nicole.” Gabi caressed E.J.’s face again, and she called Johnny preachy.

“But he had a point. I just got my divorce decree from Nicole. So, honestly, I’m not in the right frame of mind to be engaging in sexual warfare, though tempting it may be,” E.J. said. Gabi was taken aback. “Are you seriously turning me down?” Gabi said. “Don’t be offended, Gabi. I suspect that deep down, this isn’t what you really want, either,” E.J. said.

After Gabi threw on a robe, she went downstairs to the living room. Stefan stared at Gabi over his cup of coffee. “Excuse me, but I believe you’re sitting on what was my side of the room,” Gabi said. Gabi ordered Stefan to move, and he reluctantly changed seats. “I read that your brother woke up. That’s great news,” Stefan said. Gabi agreed. “I was at the hospital most of the night,” Gabi said. Gabi yawned, and Stefan asked her if that was why she was tired. “It’s one reason,” Gabi said. Gabi told Stefan that she was also tired because E.J. had worn her out after a sex marathon.

“Is that so?” Stefan said. “I don’t know why I wasted so much time hating him. He’s clearly the superior DiMera brother in so many ways,” Gabi said. With a smirk, Stefan told Gabi that it was clear that she was attempting to get under his skin. Gabi agreed. “But it’s not the reason that E.J. and I went for it a second time. It was actually because the first time was, wow, kind of amazing,” Gabi said. Gabi added that E.J. had enjoyed hurting Stefan, as well. With a smirk, Stefan noted that E.J. would get a taste of his own medicine.

“I’m getting the distinct feeling that you do not have any desire to save this marriage,” Stefan said. “It’s 'cause I don’t want to,” Gabi countered. Stefan said he found it hard to believe that Gabi wanted to throw away their marriage over one mistake. “A huge mistake!” Gabi yelled. “I own that. I admit that. And if you had made that same freaking huge mistake, I’d be mad as hell. But that doesn’t mean that I would not fight for you till the bitter end,” Stefan said.

Gabi glared at Stefan. With a sigh, Stefan said he had finally realized, “You don’t love me the way I love you. And maybe you’re right. This marriage isn’t worth saving.” Stefan walked out, and Gabi shivered.

In the D.A.’s office, E.J. was working at his desk when Paulina walked in. Paulina fired E.J. Surprised, E.J. asked why. “For helping Sloan Petersen help kidnap Nicole’s baby!” Paulina said. “I did no such thing!” E.J. protested. Paulina amended E.J.’s transgression to having been an accessory to the crime. “These accusations are all baseless. Besides which, they all came to light at my press conference, which was months ago,” E.J. said. E.J. argued that the public had moved on.

“And rightfully so, because there was no evidence. Why are you harping on this now?” E.J. asked. Paulina explained that a concerned citizen had called her to complain. With a rueful laugh, E.J. asked if the citizen had been Nicole or Eric. “Stefan says you admitted your guilt to him months ago,” Paulina said. Paulina added that Stefan had intended to tell Rafe, but Rafe had been attacked first.

“Of course, my brother is the one who’s leading the charge on all this,” E.J. muttered. “He’s ready to fully cooperate, which means testifying against you,” Paulina warned. Paulina said she needed to get ahead of the scandal and fire E.J. “I don’t know what you did to piss the guy off, but it must have been really damn rotten,” Paulina said. E.J. told Paulina that he had slept with Gabi.

“And as far as his accusations against me, it’s his word against mine, isn’t it?” E.J. said. E.J. noted that if Paulina fired him, she would look foolish when the case fell apart due to lack of evidence. Paulina argued that she could avoid bad publicity with a great replacement. “Well, if you are considering Melinda Trask for the position, rumor is, she’s long gone,” E.J. said.

In Connie’s bedroom, Melinda continued to furiously rub her rope bindings against the headboard in an attempt to fray them loose. Connie entered with breakfast. “You seem to be in a good mood,” Melinda noted. Connie cheerfully explained, “Today is the day that Gabi finally gets what’s coming to her.” As Connie cut up Melinda’s breakfast, she admitted that she was sad that her plan was almost complete.

Melinda asked about Connie’s plan for Gabi. “That bitch has to die,” Connie said. Melinda reminded Connie that Li had asked Connie not to kill any more people. “Well, I told you yesterday that his way is not working,” Connie complained. Connie argued that Gabi was too happy to live.

When Melinda started to respond, Connie shushed her. Connie yelled that Melinda had interrupted Li when he had been speaking. Melinda apologized. “I don’t know how you put up with her. I mean, you’re so rude. You naughty boy, I can’t believe you’re saying that. She’s sitting right there. She can hear you,” Connie said to cardboard Li. Connie smirked at Melinda. Melinda forced a smile, and she asked Li to remind Connie that he did not want Connie to hurt anyone else.

“Don’t you dare try to turn him against me!” Connie yelled. Connie told Li that she was eager to focus on him. “He says yes, that’s what he wants,” Connie told Melinda. “Are you sure? I could have sworn I heard him say don’t kill Gabi,” Melinda countered. Connie warned Melinda to get her ears checked. “Because he told me to do whatever it takes to have our happily ever after!” Connie said. With a glower, Connie said that was bad news for both Gabi and Melinda.

“Li would never approve of you hurting me. Right, Li?” Melinda said. Melinda pretended to be Li and agree with her. “Nice try, Melinda,” Connie said. Connie argued that although Li wanted to spare Melinda’s life, he also understood that Melinda knew too much. As Connie brandished the knife, Melinda suggested that Connie should at least let her eat the breakfast Connie had prepared. “Maybe it’s for the best. Li says you’ve really been packing on the pounds,” Connie said. “How dare you!” Melinda yelled at Li. Connie promised to make Melinda’s death quick.

As Connie raised the knife to stab Melinda, Melinda pulled at her frayed rope bindings and broke free in time to grab Connie’s arm. Melinda wrestled Connie on the bed until Connie dropped the knife, and then Melinda raced for the exit. As Melinda struggled to remove the chain from the front door, Connie ran up and stabbed Melinda in the back. Melinda fell to the floor, and Connie smiled. “Close, but no cigar,” Connie said.

At the hospital, Rafe closed his eyes and thought about the woman’s voice he had heard before he had been stabbed. Jada entered with baked goods. After Jada snuggled up next to Rafe on his bed, she asked him what he had been thinking about. Rafe admitted he had remembered something from the attack.

“It was after I was stabbed. I was on the ground. Barely conscious. I heard a voice. And I remembered it yesterday, but I wasn’t sure it was real. But the more that I’ve thought about it, I am certain that it is,” Rafe said. “What did the voice say?” Jada asked. Rafe took a deep breath.

“That open grave is the least of your worries,” Rafe recounted. “My God. I can’t believe Bobby was actually gloating,” Jada said. Rafe clarified that it had been a woman’s voice, not Bobby. “Do you think that’s possible? I mean, you told me that Bobby confessed in a letter,” Rafe said. Jada furrowed her brow, and she noted that something had always bothered her about Bobby’s suicide note.

“It just didn’t sound like him,” Jada said. “All right, then maybe this woman stabbed me and then framed Bobby for it?” Rafe suggested. Rafe wondered aloud who would do something like that. After a moment, Jada said, “Maybe it was Connie Vininski.” Rafe raised a confused eyebrow. “Who?” Rafe asked. Jada explained that Connie was Gabi’s assistant. After a moment, Rafe remembered when he had met Connie in the town square, and Connie had thanked Gabi for finding her friend Li’s real killer.

“So, Connie knew Li?” Jada said. “That’s what she said,” Rafe confirmed. Rafe asked Jada why she was suspicious of Connie. “She said some things that don’t add up,” Jada explained. Jada told Rafe what Leo had said about Connie exiting Everett’s hotel room. Jada added that although Leo had said Connie had claimed to be an old friend of Everett, neither she nor Stephanie had ever heard of Connie.

“And then when Stephanie invited Connie to Everett’s funeral, she said she never met him,” Jada said. “So, clearly, one of those times she was lying.” Rafe noted. Jada said that she was not sure how Connie was connected to Everett, but she knew that Connie was lying about it. With a smirk, Rafe joked that the connection was that Connie had stabbed him and framed Bobby. Jada agreed that it was possible. With a shake of his head, Rafe argued that Bobby had a motive to stab him, but Connie didn't.

“I have no idea why this Connie Vininski woman would want to kill you, but I did hear the woman is bad news,” Jada said. Jada explained that Ava had told her that Connie had fabricated her résumé and that Melinda had planned to confront Connie, but instead, Melinda had left town. Rafe’s eyebrows shot up. “Wait. Has anyone seen Melinda since she went to fire Connie?” Rafe asked. Jada shook her head no.

“But I went to Connie’s apartment to question her about everything, and when I got there, the door was unlocked. So I went in, but nobody was inside,” Jada said. Jada added that she had not searched the entire apartment because she had received the call about Rafe waking up. “So, Connie could have possibly done something to Melinda to keep from getting fired,” Rafe said. Jada admitted it was possible. Rafe asked if Gabi knew about the fabricated résumé.

“I’m not sure. But Connie is still Gabi’s assistant, so probably not,” Jada said. Confused, Rafe wondered aloud how everything tied together. After a moment, Jada shouted, “Li Shin!” Jada explained that Li had dated all three women and that Connie was living in Li’s apartment where he had been stabbed. Rafe shrugged.

“And remember, Bobby said that he knew who killed Li. And after Bobby died, we just assumed that he was lying. But what if it was Connie? What if he knew it was Connie who killed Li?” Jada posited. “Then [Connie] stabbed me and framed Bobby for it just to throw suspicion off herself,” Rafe added. With a nod, Jada noted that Connie might have staged Bobby’s suicide. Jada gasped.

“That would explain why [Bobby] tried calling 9-1-1 before he died,” Jada said. Worried, Rafe said he needed to call his sister. “While you do that, I need to bring in Vininski for questioning,” Jada said. Rafe asked Jada to take backup with her. “You don’t know what you’re going to be walking into,” Rafe advised. Jada agreed.

At the pub, Stefan was surprised to see Ava was his waitress. “I didn’t realize you were working here again,” Stefan said. “Desperate times, desperate measures,” Ava said. Stefan apologized, but Ava noted that if she had been in Gabi’s shoes, she would have done worse than fire the woman that had slept with her husband. “You know what? I think I’m gonna help you out,” Stefan said. Stefan offered Ava a job at the Bistro. “What about Gabi?” Ava asked. “That was before she slept with my brother,” Stefan said. Ava noted that Stefan and Gabi were even.

“Not so much. Definitely happened more than once, according to what she just told me. Which means she has no interest in saving our marriage. So, I might as well help out an old friend by offering her a job,” Stefan said. “You sure you’re not just doing this to get under her skin?” Ava asked. Stefan said he did not care how Gabi felt about it. “And quite frankly, I don’t give a damn what happens to her now,” Stefan said.

When Jada arrived at Connie’s apartment with another officer, no one answered the knock on the door. Jada pushed on the door like she had the last time, and the door popped open. “Ms. Vininski, are you home?” Jada called out. “Is that blood?” the officer asked as he pointed at the carpet. While the officer called forensics, Jada unholstered her weapon and followed the trail of blood. When Jada kicked in the bedroom door, she gasped, “Oh, my God.”

At the DiMera mansion, Connie marched into the house and called out Gabi’s name. Gabi’s cell phone rang on the desk. Connie rejected the call. “Sorry, Commish. I can’t have any interruptions,” Connie said.

At the hospital, a worried Rafe stared at his phone when he could not reach his sister. Roman walked in. “Something wrong?” Roman asked. Rafe admitted he was worried about Gabi. “Jada and I think her new assistant might be dangerous,” Rafe said.

Gabi walked into the DiMera living room, and she was surprised to see Connie. Connie explained that because Gabi had not gone into work, Connie had decided to stop by and see if Gabi needed anything.

“You’re the best assistant ever,” Gabi said. Gabi noticed her cell phone on the table, and she picked it up. Connie asked about Rafe, and Gabi said he was good. “Does he remember much about that horrible guy that attacked him?” Connie asked. “No. He doesn’t remember anything about being stabbed,” Gabi confirmed. Connie nodded.

“That’s good. I won’t have to worry about him pointing the finger at me,” Connie said. Confused, Gabi asked why Rafe would blame Connie. “Oh. Did I forget to mention, I’m the one who stabbed your brother?” Connie said. “You? Stabbed Rafe?” Gabi said. Connie grinned and she pulled the knife out of her purse. “And you’re next,” Connie said.