At the DiMera mansion, Gwen is in a panic when Rita shows up. Neither knows where EJ is.

Rafe barges in, having learned EJ is missing, and asks for the key to the crypt to search it. Rita explains that a key won’t work because EJ had the crypt sealed a couple of years ago. Rafe orders her to unseal it and call him when it’s happening.

 

 

More: Who is kidnapping the DiMeras?

Rafe leaves, and Rita tells Gwen they need to just soldier on, and until EJ returns, she’s calling the shots. Rita asks Gwen about someone tipping the police off to Dr. Rolf working in the basement. Gwen says EJ believes it was Leo, but she assures Rita it wasn’t him. She asks Rita not to go after Leo and leave him to her. Rita realizes Gwen has a score to settle with him, and she respects that.

 

 

Johnny Gets Bad News
At Johnny and Chanel’s, Johnny rants to his wife that he had to grade his class’s take-home test on a curve because everyone failed it. (As a college professor myself, I can attest to the fact that yes, students fail take-home exams all the time!)

 

 

Paulina shows up and is clearly upset. She tells Johnny that his father is the latest DiMera to go missing.

Johnny doesn’t understand how this has happened, and Paulina says they will find EJ and the others. Johnny asks what the police are thinking, as there has to be a reason his family is being targeted. Paulina says nobody knows anything. There have been no ransom demands or word from the abductor. Johnny realizes there is no way to know if his dad or the others are even alive.

 

 

Paulina heads out after exchanging hugs and telling them to call her if they need anything. Later, Johnny recalls his dad asking him to take the CEO spot at DiMera and wonders if that were the last time he would ever speak to his father…

Johnny then calls his mom to tell her the news and to reassure her that they are being careful. After the call, Johnny tells Chanel that his mom is upset, and Sydney is a wreck. Chanel embraces her husband.

More: Whose bones are in the DiMera crypt?

Gabi Spills Her Own Beans
At the Hernandez home, Gabi is hard at work making something in the kitchen, when she snaps at Javi for telling Rafe that she had a motive to want to disappear the DiMeras. Javi says neither he nor Rafe thinks she did it, but Gabi feels she can’t trust him, given all the secrets she told him.

As Gabi rants about everything she’s told him, she wonders if he tattled to his journalist husband-to-be. Leo walks in and assures her that Javi never told him anything about her, but she just aired out all her dirty laundry for him to overhear.

Javi asks Leo to pretend he didn’t hear anything Gabi said. Leo says he’ll forget it all after Gabi tells him how she screwed over Xander and Philip, giving DiMera to Tony, and what was in it for her. Gabi refuses to say another word, and that’s when Ari arrives. She can sense something is going on. Javi says he and Leo were just leaving, and they walk out.

Ari senses something is wrong and asks her mom what is going on. Gabi says she did something stupid and is just hoping it doesn’t come back to bite her. Ari gets the feeling her mom doesn’t want to say more, and she just hopes things will be okay.

More: Susan Seaforth Hayes on how she landed Julie’s role

Gabi changes the subject and asks about her winter break plans and the internship at Titan. Ari says there is no internship, and Titan is falling apart right now. However, Grandma Kate offered to put a good word in for her at DiMera. Gabi blurts out, “Like hell she will!”

Gwen and Leo Exchange Words
Javi and Leo walk through Horton Square. Javi believes Gabi will get over this and forgive him in time, and Leo says he’ll keep his mouth shut.

Gwen appears and basically hopes Leo takes his own advice regarding EJ and the clinic as well, and he is lucky EJ disappeared before Leo had to face the consequences for snooping. Leo is shocked EJ has gone missing, and Gwen again tells him to keep his mouth shut unless he wants to be the next great unsolved mystery.