Days of our Lives recap for Tuesday, January 14, 2025: Jada is surprised at the DiMera mansion

Javi was placing breakfast on the table when Gabi walked in and reached for a plate. “This isn’t for you,” Javi said as he blocked Gabi. “Then who is it for?” Gabi asked. Kerry walked in and kissed Javi’s cheek. “You must be the famous Kerry,” Gabi said with a grin. Javi introduced Kerry to Javi. “After the many nice things I’ve heard about you, Kerry, I’ve been looking forward to meeting you,” Gabi said. Gabi noted that Javi had not mentioned a house guest, and Javi teased Gabi about being his chaperone.

“I’m just saying a little discretion never hurts,” Gabi said. “Speaking of discretion, JJ left this here after he spent the night,” Javi said as he grabbed JJ’s money clip off of the table. Gabi smirked, and she noted that she would drop off the money clip at the police station. Javi grabbed a binder and held it out for Gabi.

“These are the menus from all the potential wedding caterers in town. Would you give this to Jada?” Javi asked. Confused, Gabi noted that Javi was her assistant. “You gave me the day off, remember?” Javi said. Gabi rolled her eyes and grabbed the binder.

After Gabi left, Javi and Kerry sat down to eat. Javi told Kerry that he had enjoyed their evening together even though they had not had sex. “I’m fine taking it slow. I’m just happy to be spending time with you,” Kerry said. “Same,” Javi said with a grin. Kerry asked Javi if he was overstaying his welcome at the house. With a shake of his head, Javi noted that Gabi was a hypocrite and to ignore her. Javi’s phone beeped with a notification for a new Lady Whistleblower column.

“She have anything good?” Kerry asked. “Well, she’s ripping Leo’s soap again,” Javi said. Javi read an excerpt aloud, and Kerry laughed. Javi raised an eyebrow. “What? That was funny,” Kerry said. “No, it’s not. It’s mean,” Javi countered. Javi argued that it was pointless to watch a show you did not like. Kerry countered that if you had watched the show for years, it might be difficult to stop. “You’re invested. You care,” Kerry said. “Right. Because you grew up watching Body & Soul, and you think Leo ruined it,” Javi said. Kerry noted that he was not alone.

“Okay, I get being angry that a show you love isn’t good anymore, but why would you make a career out of criticising it?” Javi wondered aloud. “Because you love it and because you know how great it could be,” Kerry said. Javi shook his head, and he noted that the reasoning made no sense. Kerry disagreed.

At the Carver-Price home, Abe and Paulina were eating breakfast when Leo knocked on the door. Leo snagged a piece of Abe’s bacon, and he noted that Abe should not eat bacon because of his cholesterol. “I’m the one with the high cholesterol,” Paulina interjected. Abe asked Leo what he needed. Leo pleaded with Abe to rehire Hattie to play Charlemagne. Abe refused.

“But the thing is, I already wrote the scene where Charlemagne comes back, and it is to die for! Which is ironic because it’s a resurrection scene,” Leo said. “Forget it,” Abe growled. Leo pitched the story, and he noted that he had already told Hattie they were going forward with it. “Have you forgotten why we got rid of her in the first place?” Abe asked. Leo explained that it had been Bonnie’s idea to bring Hattie back.

“I thought those two hated each other?” Paulina said. “They made up. Hattie apologized for going diva. She says she’s learned from her mistakes. And swears she won’t do anything like that again,” Leo said. Paulina reminded Leo that Hattie had cursed the show. “And now you want to give that woman a chance to wreak more havoc?” Paulina asked. Leo argued that Hattie had not been to blame for any of the misfortunes on the show.

“And as far as the curse, it was petty and spiteful, but it didn’t make Johnny cheat on his spouse,” Leo said. Paulina’s mouth dropped open. “I have to agree with Leo,” Abe said grudgingly. Leo pointed out that Lady Whistleblower was the source of all the problems, not Hattie. “You’re saying Lady Whistleblower tainted those cupcakes and convinced Johnny to go back to Joy’s hotel room?” Paulina asked. Leo conceded that the gossip columnist could not be blamed for those issues.

“But she has caused a tremendous amount of chaos by spoiling my stories and my personal life,” Leo said. Leo complained that because of Lady Whistleblower, he had been forced to spend extra time rewriting his storylines for the future. “I managed to weave every single storyline into one big, beautiful document,” Leo said. Leo grumbled that before he had been able to roll out the stories on the show, Lady Whistleblower had spoiled everything in her column. “I had to trash the whole thing!” Leo yelled. Leo complained to Abe about Lady Whistleblower’s latest column.

“She has completely upended our production, and now she is calling on me to be fired, which, Abe, you cannot do because there is zero merit to anything that wannabe whistleblower has to say,” Leo argued. Leo vowed to find Lady Whistleblower and sue her for defamation. Abe informed Leo that he and Kate had assigned Stephanie the task of tracking down the identity of Lady Whistleblower.

“Stephanie went to Chad and asked him to reveal Lady Whistleblower’s identity,” Paulina said. “He doesn’t know who she is, but she’s being paid anonymously,” Abe added. Leo groaned. With a shake of his head, Leo noted that he could not believe Chad was okay with the arrangement. “Not anymore. Stephanie convinced Chad that he is under no obligation to protect the identity of someone who is using his newspaper for the sole purpose of destroying our show,” Paulina said. Leo smiled proudly. Paulina informed Leo that the payments had gone to a bank in Rochester, NY.

“Whether [Lady Whistleblower] is from there or lives there, who knows?” Abe said. “This is huge! Now all we have to do is find Mrs. Rochester,” Leo said. Leo announced that he would ask Rafe to go to Rochester and follow up on the lead. Abe noted there was no budget for a private investigator. “Don’t you want to find out who is sabotaging our show?” Leo asked. Abe said he did, but he did not have the money for it. Paulina offered to pay for the investigation. Before Leo left to follow up with Rafe, he asked Abe if there was any chance that they could rehire Hattie.

“I totally get your reluctance, but I assure you, this time around, she is going to be a consummate professional. And the storyline that I have for Charlemagne, the fans are gonna go bananas. They love it when people come back from the dead. Say yes, please,” Leo pleaded. Abe glanced at Paulina, and he promised to talk to Kate.

After Leo left, Abe called Kate and told her about Leo’s idea to resurrect Hattie. When Kate started to yell on the phone, Abe suggested they discuss the matter in person. “I do have some good news. We’re very close to exposing Lady Whistleblower, once and for all,” Abe said.

At the Hernandez house, Kerry donned his “I Love Rochester” hoodie because of a chill. “Now that I’m all toasty, tell me what else is in Lady Whistleblower’s column,” Kerry said. Javi dismissed the column as gossip, but Kerry asked Javi to read it to him. “I’d rather not. Like I said, it’s mean. I don’t like the shots she takes at Leo,” Javi said. Ad exasperated Kerry said he did not understand why Javi felt bad for the man who had accused Javi of backstabbing. Javi reminded Kerry that Leo had repeatedly apologized.

“And we’re friends now. I thought you were okay with that,” Javi said. “I am, but I just don’t understand why you want to be friends with him,” Kerry said. Javi playfully teased Kerry about his jealousy, but Kerry was not amused. “Do I have a reason to be [jealous]?” Kerry asked. Confused, Javi asked Kerry why he would be jealous.

“You two looked pretty chummy when I ran into you yesterday,” Kerry said. “Chummy as in friends, which is all we are,” Javi stressed. Kerry grumbled that Leo wanted more from Javi, but Javi assured Kerry that it did not matter to him. “I’m with you now,” Javi said. Kerry argued that Javi should hate Leo and not want him around, but Javi called hate toxic. “Fresh start for the new year,” Javi said. Disappointed, Kerry said, “I’m sorry, but I just don’t see the appeal of Leo Stark.” Kerry noted that his first encounter with Leo had been disastrous.

“That’s just how it is sometimes. Like some people have chemistry and some people don’t,” Javi said. “I’ll show you who has got chemistry,” Kerry said. Kerry grabbed Javi and kissed him. As Kerry took off his hoodie, Javi asked, “What happened to taking it slow?” Kerry said he thought that Javi had changed his mind. “Are you not into this?” Kerry asked. Javi said he was but that he did not want to rush into anything the way he had with Leo.

“I have learned not to rush into something new, especially when it’s with someone that I’m really starting to care about,” Javi said. Kerry softened. “What I want is for you to be happy. For us to be happy,” Kerry said. Kerry told Javi he would follow his lead. When Kerry saw the time, he groaned and noted he needed to go to work. Javi asked Kerry to skip work and help him with wedding planning.

“I wish I could, but I have a lot to do,” Kerry said. As Kerry started to leave, Javi told him not to forget his Rochester hoodie. “Keep it. You can wear it and think of me,” Kerry said. After Kerry left, Javi put on the hoodie and grinned. Javi was snacking on bacon when Leo knocked on the front door. “I need to see Rafe,” Leo said.

JJ arrived for his first day at the police station, and Shawn greeted him. Shawn asked JJ if he had thought about his offer to partner up with the force. “I spoke to Jada, and she thought it was a good idea,” Shawn added. “That sounds good to me,” JJ said. JJ settled in at his desk, and he told Shawn that he was sorry to have learned that Shawn and Belle had split up. Shawn noted that it was an amicable split, and he told JJ that Belle was the new DA. “EJ got fired,” Shawn said. “The last part I did hear. Like I said to Gabi, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy,” JJ said.

In the commissioner’s office, Jada stared at another text from Rafe. The text explained that Rafe was too busy with the Black Patch case to give her a call. With a shake of her head, Jada called Rafe’s phone. In the DiMera living room, EJ silenced the ringer on Rafe’s cell phone. “I’m sorry, Jada, but I’m afraid Rafe’s tied up at the moment,” EJ said with a chuckle. As EJ walked over toward the entrance to the tunnels with food for Rafe, Arnold exited from the tunnels. EJ gasped.

In the commissioner’s office, Jada left a voicemail for Rafe. “I’d just really like to hear your voice. So call me back when you get this, okay? I love you,” Jada said. Shawn walked in as Jada ended her call. Jada told Shawn that she was still unable to reach Rafe. “Maybe I’m overreacting, but my gut is telling me that something’s off,” Jada said. “What is the evidence telling you?” Shawn asked. Jada listed the anomalies she had noted to date. Shawn encouraged Jada to reach out to Steve.

After a call to Steve, Jada told Shawn that Steve had confirmed that Rafe was not working on a case. “I’m starting to freak out,” Jada admitted. “Walk me through this,” Shawn said. Jada explained that after the New Year’s Eve party, Rafe had told her that Steve had placed him on an assignment. “EJ was there. And actually, Rafe wasn’t even the one who mentioned the call. It was EJ,” Jada said. “So you think EJ had something to do with this,” Shawn asked.

In the DiMera living room, EJ scowled at Arnold. “You nearly gave me a heart attack. I thought Hernandez had escaped,” EJ grumbled. Arnold confirmed that Rafe was still tied up in the wine cellar. “You were supposed to lie low!” EJ hissed. “I used the tunnels,” Arnold said. Frustrated, EJ reminded Arnold that he was not welcome in the house at all.

“Now, what the hell are you doing here?” EJ asked. Arnold complained that he was bored. When EJ yelled in frustration, Arnold asked EJ why he was “so on edge.” EJ recounted that he had to keep Rafe hostage and deal with Jada. “And you coming out of the damn walls is the last thing I need,” EJ said. Arnold snickered, and he asked about EJ’s plans for Rafe. EJ told Arnold about Rafe’s offer to keep quiet.

“Even if I can trust him, I can’t trust Jada. She already got me fired. She’ll leap at the chance to throw me in jail,” EJ said. EJ encouraged Arnold to return to Brazil, but he declined. Arnold also refused to hole up in the hotel. “You cannot stay here or anywhere else in Salem, for that matter. Because if anyone else sees you, they are going to assume you are Rafe Hernandez,” EJ growled.

“Why would that be so bad?” Arnold argued. Arnold noted that his best option to escape boredom was to impersonate Rafe. “This Jada chick is clearly a problem. So when Rafe comes back, I’ll throw her off the scent a little,” Arnold said. As EJ stewed in silence, the doorbell rang. “You need to get out of here,” EJ hissed. Arnold refused to leave. EJ gave the tray of food to Arnold to take down to Rafe, and he ordered Arnold to remain quiet and out of sight.

When EJ opened the front door, Jada was on the front porch. EJ joked that he was busy searching for a job. Jada walked past EJ into the living room. “I just spoke with Steve Johnson, and he said he didn’t send Rafe on a case. So why did you tell me he did?” Jada asked. EJ lied and said he had been standing next to Rafe when Rafe had taken a phone call. Jada told EJ that she did not believe him. Jada noted that on New Year’s Eve, EJ had acted strangely at the party.

“You’re the only one who knows something about this case that Steve supposedly sent him on, which probably means you know something about his whereabouts,” Jada said. EJ smirked and insinuated that Rafe had fabricated the case in an effort to take a break from Jada. “Perhaps Black Patch’s case is nothing more than a case of a fiance with cold feet,” EJ said.

“I know you know something. So let’s hear it. Now!” Jada countered. Jada reminded EJ that he had threatened her after he had been fired. “Did you go after Rafe as payback?” Jada asked. EJ called the notion preposterous. Jada demanded answers. “I can’t help you,” EJ said. With a nod, Jada ordered EJ to accompany her to the police station, but he refused.

“Do I need to remind you that I’m the police commissioner?” Jada asked. “I’m still an attorney, and I know that you can’t take me into custody without a warrant. And seeing how you don’t have one, you can get the hell out of my house,” EJ said. Arnold exited the tunnels into the living room. Surprised, Jada turned and scowled at EJ.

As JJ worked in the police bullpen, Gabi walked in. “How’s your first day going?” Gabi asked. “Better now. What brings you by?” JJ asked. Gabi handed JJ his money clip. “I hope your detective skills aren’t rusty, considering you didn’t even notice it was missing,” Gabi teased. JJ said he had wanted an excuse to visit Gabi at her house again. “If anything’s missing, I could always break out the cuffs,” JJ joked. “You promise,” Gabi whispered. JJ blushed.

Gabi pulled out Javi’s binder, and she explained that Javi had appointed himself as Rafe and Jada’s wedding planner. “[Javi would] kill me if I forgot to leave this for the bride,” Gabi said. JJ flipped through the book, and Gabi worried aloud that the wedding was in two weeks. “I got to give it to my cuz. He’s doing a great job,” Gabi said. Shawn returned to the bullpen and said hello.

“I’ll get out of your hair. I have to bring this to Jada anyway,” Gabi said as she took back the binder from JJ. “Jada is not here,” Shawn said. Shawn explained that Jada had left to follow up on a lead. With a nod, JJ promised to deliver the binder to Jada when she returned. Gabi and JJ smiled at one another, and she walked out. “So, you and Gabi?” Shawn said. JJ admitted that he and Gabi were “exploring possibilities.”

Curious, JJ asked Shawn if there was something about Jada that Shawn had withheld in front of Gabi. Shawn admitted that was true. “How come?” JJ asked. “Because it’s about her brother,” Shawn said. Shawn updated JJ on Jada’s suspicions about Rafe’s disappearance. Shawn explained that Jada had gone to question EJ.

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