Monday, October 16, 2006, Episode #4915

Taylor is booked for her crimes.

Taylor is brought into the Los Angeles Police Department, where Detective Orbach has a uniformed cop bring Taylor to Lt. Baker's office. Once there, Taylor tells Lt. Baker that she's ready to make her statement. Baker advises her to wait for her attorney, but Taylor doesn't think a lawyer will make any difference. She just wants to give her statement. As he starts his tape recorder, Lt. Baker again advises Taylor of her right to counsel; when she again refuses, Baker has her state for the record that she's waived her rights, aware that anything she says can be used against her. Taylor confirms that she understands, so Baker tells her to go ahead. Taylor thinks this should be easy, since telling Thorne was the hardest things she's ever done. She then tells the lieutenant everything. She declined Darla's invitation to Alexandria's birthday party because she didn't want the family to know about her DUI conviction and suspended license. Her drinking was out of control, so she poured all the wine in the house down the drain, except for one bottle. She had just had a glass or two of wine when Phoebe called her from PCH, frantic that she'd gotten a flat tire. Then the phone went silent: she later learned Phoebe had been scared by a homeless man, but at the time she was scared to death for her daughter. So even though she'd been drinking, she got in her car and raced down the dark, foggy PCH, not knowing that Darla had come to Phoebe's aid. It was so dark and foggy that she didn't see Darla falling on to the road as she came around a sharp curve. And then she hit Darla. When the police arrived, she was scared and followed the ambulance to the hospital, saying nothing about the accident.

Lt. Baker sets the other detective straight.

Lt. Baker asks Taylor why she stayed silent if she hit Darla by accident. She explains, "It felt like an accident, but I'll never know for sure, because I was drinking." Having finished her statement, Taylor is taken to be photographed and fingerprinted. As she takes her mug shot, Lt. Baker and Detective Orbach look on. Orbach congratulates Baker on cracking the case, but Baker says that he didn't crack anything. He never found any proof. This arrest only happened because Taylor confessed. Once Taylor's confession is transcribed, Lt. Baker brings it to her. "Once you sign this, it's evidence," the cop points out. Taylor responds, "I know. I just want to get this done." After she signs the paper, she asks what the charges will be. Baker explains that it's up to the district attorney, but he predicts driving with a suspended license, obstruction of justice and vehicular manslaughter, with or without gross negligence. Whatever the charges are, he predicts, "You're going to be going away for awhile."

Phoebe tells her father the truth about Darla's death.

Ridge drops by Taylor's house with some European gifts for Phoebe, who he hopes isn't still mad at him. Phoebe assures him that she was never mad at him, since she knows he and Taylor tried. Ridge is glad to hear that, since he was worried when she wouldn't answer his calls, postcards or e-mails. Phoebe says that she's sorry; she just didn't want to lie to him. Ridge asks if she's in some trouble, but she explains that her mom's the one in trouble. Ridge is surprised, since he thought the drinking stopped. It did, Phoebe explains, on the night her mom hit Darla. After Phoebe explains, it all makes sense to Ridge. He remembers how he and Thomas came home and found the empty wine bottle that night. Phoebe then tells him how Hector convinced Taylor to keep quiet; Ridge is astonished that Taylor would ask Phoebe to go along with this lie that she and Hector had cooked up. He asks Phoebe why she didn't come to him. She asks, "How could I? You were the reason..." Ridge suddenly feels guilty that he didn't see it sooner, and that he didn't do anything to help. Phoebe asks what he could have done. She tells him how distraught Taylor was over the lying, even though things got a bit better when Grandma found out. Ridge is stunned to hear that his mother knew about this. Phoebe explains how Stephanie convinced Taylor to stay silent, believing it was better for Thorne. But it doesn't matter now, since Taylor told Thorne tonight.

Ridge tells Phoebe not to blame herself.

Ridge recalls Taylor's behavior at the funeral, and the way Taylor took Hector in while bonding with Thorne. He sees now that Taylor was acting out of guilt. Maybe it started that way, Phoebe explains, but she thinks that her mom and Thorne really fell in love. That's what makes tonight so sad. Ridge wonders if Thorne will call the police. Phoebe explains that her mom already called Lt. Baker and is probably in jail right now. Phoebe blames herself for all this, since it wouldn't have happened if she had just stayed in England with Steffy. Ridge tells her not to talk that way, because this is not her fault. Phoebe points out that she lied more than anyone. Ridge reminds her that she's not even legally an adult yet, and it was unfair for her to be put in this position. He understands that she and Taylor were scared, but he doesn't know what his mother was thinking. He's just sorry that Phoebe had to carry this inside her, and he sees now why she wound up in the hospital. Phoebe still can't believe that the situation is hopeless; even with all the lies, she knows what happened to Darla was an accident. Even a sober person probably would have hit Darla as she fell onto the road in the dark and fog. "Is there anything you can do?" she asks her dad, who tries to comfort her.

Thorne is livid with his mother.

A despondent Thorne returns home, where Catherine is watching Alexandria. Catherine is surprised to see him home so early; Thorne apologizes for the sudden change in plans and tells the nanny that she can go. He'll put Ally to bed. Once Catherine leaves, Thorne takes the jewelry box out of his pocket and looks at the ring he was going to give Taylor. He puts the ring pack in his pocket and picks Ally up. As he carries his daughter to bed, Stephanie arrives. She waits for him to put Ally to bed. When Thorne returns, he guesses that she's heard about Taylor. He still can't believe that Taylor could lie to him that way, and he bets his mother was just as shocked. Stephanie says that she was when she first found out, but she actually now thinks that his love gave Taylor the strength to confess, even though she'd advised Taylor not to say anything. Realizing that his mother already knew, Thorne goes ballistic! He's furious that he was the last to know and bets that even the mailman knew before him. Stephanie tells him to calm down. She was just trying to protect him. She explains that she was just as furious with Taylor when she found out, back when Hector's house burned down. She explains how Taylor was on her way to confess to him when Hector intercepted her and locked her in his house. She got to the Ramirez house that night and forced Taylor to admit the truth, and when she heard it, she wanted to leave Taylor and Hector to burn. "But instead, you encouraged me to fall in love with the woman who killed my wife!" Thorne accuses.

Stephanie admits to Thorne that her actions may seem callous, but she saw how he and Alexandria were bonding with Taylor. She didn't want his heart to be broken again, so she kept quiet. Thorne is livid! Stephanie replies. "Justice isn't justice if it does some irreparable harm that can't be undone," but Thorne points out that he didn't even know the woman he was falling for. Stephanie tells him that Taylor made a mistake, but she's still the same decent human being. She's just sorry that Hector convinced Taylor to hide the truth, because the damage was already done by the time she found out. She couldn't see ruining his happiness or Alexandria's over a simple mistake. Thorne reminds her that Taylor had been drinking when she got behind the wheel that night. And that was wrong, Stephanie agrees, but there's still plenty of blame to go around. Thorne hopes she isn't blaming Darla; Stephanie says she's just reminding him how dark and foggy it was that night. "She was drunk!" Thorne fumes, but Stephanie thinks he knows better. He points out that he was on that same road that night. And he should thank god that he didn't hit someone who fell off that narrow strip in front of him. Thorne doesn't want to hear this, but Stephanie reminds him that Phoebe was there, too. She thinks he knew Darla well enough to understand why she took the risk she did to help Phoebe. Thorne accuses her of saying that Darla wanted to die! Stephanie responds that she's not saying that. At the same time, she doesn't think it's Taylor's fault, either. It was just a series of tragic events that got out of control.