Only the shadow knows

Okay, so just who was Katie's special friend? Was J.T. alive and well and using his security tricks and technological know-how to snow the Newmans? Or was Victor so diabolical he used his own granddaughter to cover the tracks of framing himself? Only the shadow knows in Two Scoops.

In this age of technology, where everyone plays video games with eyes glued to their computers or iPhones for hours at a time, it's so refreshing to see a child that plays an actual game from ancient times such as the 70s or the 80s. I can remember as a young girl skipping rope or playing tag with my friends. At times, we would even venture out to search in the woods for "treasures" such as a glittery rock or a brightly colored piece of glass. We would climb trees and ride bikes. We loved the adventures. So, it was fantastic to see Katie play hide-and-seek with her special friend -- or it would have been if her parents had a clue as to who the special friend was.

Katie had her special friend in the Newman ranch hallway, and going by the shadow on the wall, I'd say that Katie's friend was an actual person. So, the individual would have to be someone Katie knows, since I am presuming that Victoria had warned her not to talk to strangers. That would point straight to J.T., wouldn't it? Katie and Johnny got along very well with J.T. the short time he lived with them. And as her very special friend, J.T. could very well have sworn Katie to secrecy by promising it would be a surprise for her mommy, although not necessarily a surprise that Victoria would welcome or appreciate.

At first, I thought that Katie's friend was the camera in the hall, taping her, which fed into what I call my "Victor done it" theory. Victor then could have downplayed it simply by ignoring it. Katie wouldn't have given it another thought. By listening to others' conversations through the spy cam, Victor could have learned that Phyllis had stashed the fireplace poker in a storage unit and then helped himself to it. It would have been rather drastic for Victor to have had his stables go down in flames, but as long as none of his horses were hurt, he had the big bucks to rebuild them and to have them even better than before. Victor could easily have been the one to blame, only he wouldn't have wanted his family implicated in it all. So, that brings us back to J.T. -- if he's still alive. Who else could it be?

Where's all the security at the Newman ranch that Victor likes to brag so much about? It appeared that one person could come and go at will and could spy on them at any time through the videotape footage. Between the supposed top-notch security and the Newman staff, you would think one of them had seen someone. But wait...J.T. was the head of security at Newman Enterprise, so he would know all the tricks of the trade -- another clue pointing directly to Victoria's ex. And Katie probably thought she was just playing another game of hide-and-seek with her friend, but really, it was time for her to come out, come out, wherever you are.

Only Katie couldn't come out, because she seemed to be stuck in the wall. She was merrily singing, though, so she wasn't too traumatized. Or it's possible that someone had buried a speaker into the wall, making it appear that Katie was trapped there, which would be pretty clever. J.T. was certainly capable of doing that and had been too clever for his own good. I doubt if J.T. would hurt Katie, though, but he wouldn't have any problems with making it appear that he would. But was the person secretly watching the camera footage J.T.? Only the shadow knows.

Could Victor be the one planting evidence to implicate himself in J.T.'s murder? Sure, Nikki loves Victor, and Victor loves Nikki. But does she really know, deep down, just what he is capable of? Victor may just be setting himself up to take the fall for J.T.'s murder in order to protect Nikki. I mean, anytime anything diabolical is going on, all roads point in Victor's direction. Even if, for some crazy reason, Victor was doing it out of the goodness of his heart, the Mustache still should be the number one suspect if something underhanded happens. It just stands to reason.

And the clues have always been staring us in the face. Victor had previously planted cameras in Victoria's house in order to keep tabs on J.T. Check. Victor has enough money and know-how about technology to be able to pull it off. Check. Victor always has to be at least one step ahead of every other person in existence. Check. And Victor always has to know everything going on with almost everyone on the face of the planet. Check. Once Victor decided to hunt J.T. down, he used every method and means he could find, which would include planting cameras everywhere. So, he has seen and heard every conversation that has taken place for who knows how long. Victor would have the necessary ammunition to accomplish the task.

But this has gone way too far for Victor to be a suspect. He wouldn't dream of intentionally doing anything that would hurt his grandkids, although he's already contributed plenty of harm unintentionally. You know, such as taking custody of Christian and snatching the boy from the loving arms of the only parent he had ever known. But Victor truly seemed sincere about finding the vermin who was messing with his granddaughter, so it's probably not him.

Nick sure has been putting on some heavy-duty blinders when it comes to the affairs of the heart. Not only did he not see that Phyllis had been hiding something from him, but Nick was totally oblivious to Sharon's cover-up, as well. Two loves in one shot. That must have really hurt. Okay, Nick's used to secrets and deceit from his family members, but when ladies outside of the Newmans are lying to him, as well...that's got to strike deep. Still, even if Victor's not the culprit framing himself or J.T. doing the dastardly deed, it's highly unlikely that the person would be Nick. Impersonating J.T. was about as bad as Nick would go.

Although he was ready to not only quickly forgive and forget Phyllis' cover-up but to be grateful for it, Nick could only blame Sharon for her part in it. That's crazy! But it only proved what Sharon said -- Nick would have ended up with Phyllis in the long run, anyway. Phyllis must be terrific in bed, since she's had both Billy and Nick dancing to her tune every step of the way. Just like the Pied Piper. Even without the pipe, Phyllis has some magical power to entice and lure the guys -- and probably the rats, too -- to their doom. "The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." Well said, Robert Burns; however, Phyllis seems to scrape through any situation untouched.

Keeping his faith in Phyllis will eventually bite Nick in the rear, though. Nick should be very wary of the potential pain Phyllis can cause him, since lying comes almost as naturally to her as breathing. How can he ever put his complete trust in a woman who would willingly throw anyone under the bus at any time to save her own skin? If it came down to push versus shove, Phyllis would easily sacrifice Nick for her own purposes. It's just her way of doing things.

She's back! Yes, Summer returned to wreak more havoc, even if she claimed she had a new outlook that included respecting boundaries and not crossing any lines. Yeah, and I have the Hope Diamond to sell, cheap at $100 million, for anyone who wants to buy it. I wish. Kyle's love life with Lola was sailing along too smoothly, so Summer needed to roughen up those waters a bit. Besides, someone really needs to put a chink in the armor Nick has placed over Phyllis' flaws. Hmmm...it's interesting that Summer believed Nick and Phyllis were both "rebounding." But since Summer wrecked Billy with Phyllis, hopefully she can sandblast through Nick's near-sighted vision of Phyllis.

Summer will surely mess with Victoria after Victor declared his granddaughter to be his daughter's new assistant at Newman Enterprises. Sheesh, you would think at such a high level on the NE ladder, Victoria would have been able to choose her own assistant. Usually, an executive selects someone completely trustworthy to be one's right-hand man. Uh, woman. Okay, right-hand person. But Newman Enterprises has completely different politics than most corporations. Well, if nothing else, the newly appointed duo shouldn't be boring. Let's hope they aren't, anyway.

Billy should be a little encouraged that Victoria almost immediately called him when she realized Katie was missing. She would call him, of course, because he was Katie's daddy; however, Victoria also turned to him for comfort. It was heartbreaking to hear him remind Victor and Nikki that he was already putting flowers on one daughter's grave. Billy and Victoria know the worst that can happen to a child, because they've already been through it. Billy would still have a chance with Victoria if the whole J.T. situation could be resolved, only he doesn't know that, of course.

Billy truly disappointed me when he ran straight to Lily with the news of Cane and Victoria's smooch, just when I thought he had finally grown up to be the kind of man Victoria needed. Instead of feeling threatened by the kiss, Billy should have tried to figure out what had motivated it for her. Victoria was obviously running scared, but Billy didn't take the time to consider that. Billy was blinded to the truth that Victoria was afraid of being in another disastrous relationship. And since Billy was already armed with the knowledge of J.T.'s abuse, shame on him for not seeing her fear.

While Kyle was maturing in his relationship with Lola, Fen remained a boy who desperately needed to grow up before he lost his chance at having his desired music career. And Summer sure wasn't going to help Fen there. So far, Summer's supposed new outlook hasn't gotten her any farther than wanting to party all night. In exactly what way has she changed? At the Athletic Club, Summer was so obvious about putting on a show with Fen to grab Kyle's attention away from his girlfriend. And at the photo shoot, Kyle seemed a little too interested in Summer's date with Fen. Kyle had better be careful, or he'll lose Lola, the best thing that's ever happened to him. And Lola shouldn't let sex rule her decisions concerning Kyle. The odds are on Lola's side, even if Summer always plays for keeps.

Jack tried to keep his eyes wide open to the fact that Kerry's intentions didn't seem pure as the driven snow. I mean, most women don't lug a purse around with a huge needle occupying most of its space. There was barely enough room for her makeup. Gasp! But Kerry wasn't being sneaky at all, since she was taking hormones so she could freeze her eggs. Okay, that's not too bad. There are worse things as long as Jack was in the right place in wanting to have kids again someday. But though he could completely understand her motives, since he had frozen his sperm in the past, that was far in the past. So, while they were traveling on the same road, it was at totally different times. Jack's not getting any younger, and Kerry was possibly looking at having children in the distant future.

Raising kids requires energy and stamina, and Jack admitted he wasn't ready to deal with young ones several years down the road. But still, he enjoyed spending time with Kerry, and there are no guarantees in life. Jack is a very wise man, and he chose the lovely lady over his fears of her desire to have children in the future. Jack made it crystal clear on where he stood on the children issue, especially after he insisted that he wouldn't change his mind later. If and when she decides she's ready to take the plunge into motherhood, Kerry is aware that she would probably have to give up Jack. So, then her decision would be to sacrifice her future with Jack or with children.

As far as I'm concerned, Rey and Arturo should just blindfold themselves and play pin the tail on the donkey to select who their romantic partners will be. The brothers seem to want their cake, Mia, and to eat it, too, with Sharon and Abby as the desserts. And Mia's just as bad, since she has been totally driven in desiring both guys. Her lips claim that she only wants her husband, Rey, while her eyes wander with lust over Arturo. Rey, Arturo, and Mia would all deserve each other if they weren't taking innocent bystanders along for the destruction.

At least Abby had class enough to apologize for stealing their thunder at the ceremony when Mia and Rey renewed their vows. Really, that was a little tacky, but Arturo had never considered that, of course. And after all the bickering from both sides of her family, Abby didn't want another rivalry going on with Mia in her new family, and she hoped they could start fresh. Yeah, well, good luck with that. Mia was so obviously jealous, and if she had her way, no other woman would ever have Arturo. What she didn't see was that by trying to hang on to the two brothers, she will probably end up losing them both. Again. Actually, though, if Mia wanted to score points with Arturo, she should play nice with Abby. My guess is that she will eventually need an ally in that family.

Phyllis agreed with me when she warned Mia not to make an enemy of Abby and her dual Newman and Abbott armies. Mia was a lot like Phyllis in that she liked to push, push, push. But Phyllis stressed that Mia needed to know when it was time to back off, or she would risk losing everything, including the business she had built. I like it when Phyllis is sensible and gives wise advice. It's just too bad she doesn't take more of it herself. It's funny that the only time Phyllis seems concerned about anyone else is when someone needs her advice. And that's only when the situation has nothing to do with her. As long as Phyllis is involved, her advice would be biased and tainted.

I found it a touch ironic that Victor was reading a story to Johnny about a kingdom where men were brave and honorable. Well, Victor may have the brave part down pat, but honorable? Not so much.

Oh, Phyllis was delusional if she thought that Victoria was only Billy's consolation prize.

When Devon indicated that Ana should revitalize her singing career, I was thinking to myself, "Noooo!" Nothing personal against Ana's portrayer, Loren Lott, but I am so over new actors/actresses joining the show and constantly singing their lungs out before the viewers have even gotten a chance to know their characters. Okay, it's fine for a newbie to sing a tune to accompany some clips at the end of an episode every once in a blue moon. But I'm still trying to get over Tessa's continuous warbling from not so long ago. Please, just let us rest our ears for a while.

It was dj vu all over again as I watched Greg Rikaart's Leo/Matthew interact with Judith Chapman's Diana on Days of our Lives. Ms. Chapman and Mr. Rikaart took their remarkable on-screen mother/son chemistry from Y&R to DAYS, where they have found a new place to shine together. Hopefully, we will see Kevin Fisher and Gloria Bardwell in Genoa City sometime in the future, but in the meantime, Michael Baldwin, please stay put.

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