Days of our Lives Recap for Thursday, February 27, 2025: Shawn arrests Rafe, Kayla runs DNA tests

Kristen was irate when Brady suggested he would have custody of Rachel if CPS got involved, but she reminded him that they were warned that one more incident would mean they would both lose her. Brady wanted Kristen to go to prison for what she did to Ava, but Kristen reminded him that it would implicate Rachel if anyone found out about her involvement, so he needed to get Ava to stand down.

Brady couldn’t believe Kristen would use Rachel as a shield to cover a crime that Kristen and her mom committed. Kristen insisted they would lose Rachel if they didn’t let what happened at Aremid stay at Aremid. She left to check on her mother. “Unless you want to stop me,” she challenged, but Brady didn’t.

At the DiMera mansion, Belle told EJ that everyone warned her not to get involved with him but she didn’t think it would “bite her in the ass” this quickly. She warned EJ that she was not adverse to prosecuting him to the fullest extent of the law as needed for covering up Ava’s kidnapping. She told him not to try to sweet-talk his way out of it as it was a legal matter.

Kayla saw Marlena in her office and invited her to dinner. Marlena asked if it was a sympathy invitation, as John was out of town. Gabi burst in and said there was an emergency. She explained that they thought Rafe was Arnold. Gabi brought them up to date on how the DiMera’s “disappeared him” but now he was in her kitchen. Marlena was horrified. Kayla was confused about how she could help. Gabi thought Kayla could prove he was an imposter.

Kayla left with Gabi, and Belle came in to tell Marlena that EJ was involved in Ava’s kidnapping. She said she should be grateful it’s just the one crime, as she thought she would have also found out he had framed Jada.

Marlena filled Belle in on everything she knew about Rafe, Arnold, Rachel Blake, and EJ. Belle couldn’t believe she got involved with EJ again and called him a monster. Belle admitted that EJ himself said he wouldn’t change, and still, she stayed and defended him to Shawn. She added that EJ even told her that deep down she knew that he was guilty and that he set up Jada. “And the truth is, I did. And as I stood there arguing EJ’s case, I knew it was more than likely that Shawn was right. I just don’t know how I could be so stupid,” she lamented. Marlena told her daughter she was not stupid and hugged her. “I got you,” Marlena assured Belle.

Near the nurse’s station, Gabi showed Kayla that she had a hair of Arnold’s and hoped his DNA was still at the hospital. Kayla said they could at least compare it to Rafe’s relative: Gabi. Kayla said she would run the test to see if Gabi was a DNA match to Arnold’s hair.

Rafe woke up as Jada and Shawn walked into the kitchen. “Where is Rafe and what have you done with him?” Jada demanded. “Who’s Rafe? And who are you?” he asked. Shawn and Jada told Rafe that they knew he was Arnold.

Rafe insisted he didn’t know a Rafe or a Feniger either. Shawn and Jada demanded he quit acting or they’d take him in for suspicion of kidnapping. Rafe continued to resist answering questions he didn’t know the answer to, so Shawn arrested him.

At the station, Shawn promised to take care of it by the book, which meant that Jada had to go home. Before leaving, Jada pointed out that Rafe hadn’t cheated, but they did. Shawn told her to just focus on Arnold and finding Rafe.

Shawn questioned “Arnold” but he didn’t know who Rafe was or why he should care about him. Shawn said that Jada was worried sick and wanted her fiance back. That seemed to trigger something for Rafe, but he insisted he didn’t know anyone named Jada. Shawn told "Arnold" he was going to interrogate him all night if he had to. Rafe said if Shawn was going to keep badgering him, and then he wanted a lawyer.

Kristen came home and lamented to EJ that the cops wouldn’t let her in to see her mom. EJ said he had his own issues as Belle was furious but Kristen assured him that Ava wasn’t a problem. Kristen knew Ava hated her guts but didn’t think she would hurt Brady that way. EJ wasn’t as sure they could trust a mafia princess to put the needs of a child before her own. Kristen was confident that Ava had been neutralized. “With any luck, so has Rafe Hernandez,” EJ said. EJ assured Kristen that fake Rafe was gone for good and real Rafe was back with his family.

Kristen asked EJ if he cared for Belle more than he admitted, but he wouldn’t say. Kristen apologized for roping EJ into the Rafe business. She was sure that Rolf’s serum would erase the last few months of Rafe’s memory. EJ thought if it was erased more than that, he wouldn’t be able to testify against him, and that was all he cared about.

Brady went to see Ava and told her that Kristen hadn’t been arrested. He said that Kristen didn’t leave her there to hurt her, but to protect Rachel. Ava swore she was going to testify against Kristen. Brady told Ava if she implicated Kristen, she would also implicate his daughter. He shared what CPS said about how they’d take away Rachel if there was one more incident. Ava accused him of wanting Kristen to get away with what she did to her.

Brady said he wasn’t okay with Kristen or her mother getting off scot-free for what they did, but he had to protect his daughter. He promised that if there were any other way out of it, he would take it, but there wasn’t one.

Gabi went to see Jada and said the lab was testing strands of hers and Arnold’s to prove they weren’t related. Jada updated her about “Arnold” being with Shawn. They wondered how they would find the real Rafe.

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