At the police station, Brook Lynn told Chase that she had enjoyed driving his truck, but he admitted that he’d been able to tell by how fast she had driven it. Brook Lynn assured him that she would take good care of the truck, so he handed her a parking sticker and reminded her not to put it on the truck until after it had been detailed. Brook Lynn promised to take care of it, but she reminded him of their deal for him to drop by the Quartermaine mansion after work to say goodbye to Gloria.

Meanwhile, in the interrogation room, Dante greeted Detective Briscoe from Pautuck. Briscoe explained that he was investigating Austin Gatlin-Holt’s murder and that he had requested interdepartmental cooperation between their police departments. However, Briscoe had concerns that Dante might have a conflict of interest because Dante had shot the victim’s cousin in Briscoe’s jurisdiction. Briscoe wanted to know why Dante hadn’t reported the kidnapping, but Dante explained that he’d been following up on a tip and hadn’t known about the kidnapping until he’d found Mason about to shove a man off a cliff. Briscoe acknowledged that Dante had been cleared by the Port Charles police, but Mason’s defense attorney had threatened to have any evidence that Dante uncovered suppressed.

Dante offered to recuse himself from the investigation. Briscoe declined, but he advised Dante that things might change as they built a case against Austin’s killer. With that settled, Briscoe revealed that he would need Dante to question all of Austin’s known associates in Port Charles. Just then, Chase entered the interrogation room, so Dante introduced Briscoe to Chase. After the men sat down, Briscoe shared that Austin’s body had been found by a neighbor when the neighbor had noticed that Austin’s door had been wide open. According to Briscoe, Austin had been shot twice in the chest at close range, and the preliminary report placed Austin’s death 24 to 48 hours before Thanksgiving.

Dante reported that Mason had been under guard at General Hospital, but Briscoe wanted that verified and for someone to question Mason. Briscoe promised to forward a copy of the coroner’s report, but he was curious about Austin’s other family members in Port Charles. Chase told the detective that Austin hadn’t associated much with any of the Quartermaines, so Briscoe asked who Austin had associated with. “The kidnapping victim, Ava Jerome,” Dante answered.

At the Quartermaine mansion, Lois and Gloria talked about Gloria’s trouble with the Russian-based crime syndicate, trouble that began over a heated argument between Gloria and the mob boss’s wife during a Bingo game. Gloria was hopeful that Yuri would be able to help because Peter Petrov had threatened to kill “Ziti.” “No one kills Ziti,” Yuri said as he entered the living room. As Lois and Gloria watched, Yuri pulled out his phone and made a phone call.

A short time later, Lois and Gloria assured Yuri that they understood the plan. Brook Lynn entered the living room in time to hear the exchange, prompting her to ask what was going on. Lois reluctantly explained that Gloria was in trouble. “It’s a misunderstanding,” Gloria insisted. When Lois admitted that Gloria had run afoul of the Russian mob, a horrified Brook Lynn suggested that they call Sonny, but Yuri assured Brook Lynn that it wouldn’t be necessary.

Just then, the doorbell rang, announcing Peter Petrov’s arrival. After Yuri answered the door, greeted the Russian mobster, and ushered him into the living room, Yuri introduced Petrov to Brook Lynn, Lois, and Gloria. Everyone was welcoming, except Gloria who glared at Petrov. Petrov glared right back, and he accused her of badmouthing his Petra. Gloria made an aggressive move toward Petrov, but Lois quickly interceded and pulled her mother back.

Yuri tried to deescalate things by thanking Petrov for stopping by, but Petrov explained that he’d only done it because Yuri had taught Petrov’s nephew to play the trombone. Brook Lynn and Lois exchanged a surprised look. However, the conversation turned to the argument between Gloria and Petra. Lois assured Petrov that her mother was sorry, but Gloria argued that she had only asked Petra to lower her voice. “Why should I apologize? I’ve done nothing wrong,” Gloria said.

Furious, Petrov decided to leave, but Brook Lynn asked him to wait. She held up her business card as she explained that she managed musical talent, and she was working to put together a brass section for one of her artists who was about to go on tour. Brook Lynn claimed that she still needed a trombonist, and she would be interested in talking to Petrov’s nephew. Leery, Petrov asked the name of the artist. “Luke West and Stack Seven,” Brook Lynn answered. To everyone’s surprise, Petrov smiled because he loved Luke West’s music.

Petrov took Brook Lynn’s business card as he assured her that his nephew’s talent would impress her. He also agreed to let the matter drop as long as Gloria stayed away from Bingo night at his wife’s church. Gloria reluctantly agreed. Satisfied, Petrov left. Lois praised Brook Lynn’s ingenuity, and Gloria was equally proud of her granddaughter.

Moments later, Chase arrived to see Gloria off. Gloria started to lecture Chase about appreciating what he had in Brook Lynn, but Lois and Brook Lynn cut her off and reminded Gloria that she had to get to the train station. When Yuri returned from walking Petrov out, Lois asked him to drive Gloria to the train station and to stay with her mother until Gloria had boarded the train. Gloria was hustled out the door, but she stopped and turned to Brook Lynn because she wanted to know when to schedule her next visit. “When are you and Chase getting married?” Gloria asked.

At Maxie’s house, Felicia arrived to take James to the Quartermaine mansion, but Maxie revealed that Cody had stopped by earlier and saved Felicia the trip. While Maxie worked at her desk on a laptop, Felicia took off her coat and entered the living room, where she saw a stack of wooden furniture pieces on the floor. She asked her daughter about the new furniture, but Maxie grumbled that it was just another example of her “stupid financial decisions.” Maxie explained that she had bought Georgie the desk with the intention of putting it together, only to realize that she would need to hire someone to do it.

With a little prodding from Felicia, Maxie opened up about her financial difficulties, which had started when the lawsuit against Deception had been filed. Maxie revealed that she was no longer able to pay down her credit cards, and she’d ended up stuck making minimum payments and charging more out of necessity. She assured her mother that she didn’t regret moving because her children were happy in the house, but her expenses were higher, especially with after-school clubs, sports, tutors, and eventual braces. Felicia asked if things had gotten better since the lawsuit had been dropped, but Maxie explained that it would be months, if not years, before Deception wasn’t operating at a deficit. Maxie conceded that she had never been the best at budgeting or being frugal, which had compounded the problem.

Felicia pulled out her checkbook, but Maxie firmly refused to accept money from her mother. Felicia argued that Maxie would never get out of credit card debt by making minimum payments with a 25 percent interest rate. Felicia explained that she and Mac would look at their retirement portfolio and see what they could liquidate to get Maxie out of debt, but Maxie insisted that it was her problem to solve. Felicia assured her daughter that there was nothing to be ashamed of because credit card debt was insidious, but she offered to discuss a repayment plan once Deception was doing well. Maxie asked for time to think things over to make certain that it was the best solution, because Maxie didn’t want to bail herself out at the expense of Mac and Felicia.

At the Port Charles Grill, Alexis returned, looking for her cell phone, but she spotted Molly talking to a woman at a corner table. After Alexis retrieved her phone from the bartender, she sat down.

Meanwhile, Claire — the representative with the surrogate-matching agency — handed Molly a folder filled with possible surrogate candidates. Molly admitted that she was grateful that there were more options, but she explained that she would need to discuss it with her husband first. Claire encouraged Molly to take all the time she needed because it was a big decision. After Claire left, Alexis walked over to the table.

Molly was surprised to see her mother, so Alexis explained that she’d returned for her phone, but she had stayed because she had noticed that things had looked intense between Molly and the woman. Alexis had also noticed how quickly Molly had closed the folder when she had seen her mother, but she assured Molly that Molly didn’t have to talk about it. Alexis wanted Molly to know that Alexis loved and supported her, and Alexis was there if Molly wanted to talk. Molly quickly capitulated and told Alexis about the agency.

Molly also revealed that T.J. had no idea that she’d had the meeting with Claire. She explained that the miscarriage had hit them both hard, but T.J. was worried that going through it again would set them up for more heartbreak. Molly had feared the same until she had run into Dr. Navarro. She told Alexis about her talk with the doctor and how Dr. Navarro had given Molly hope, which had led to Molly taking the meeting with Claire. “Without telling T.J.,” Alexis said.

Molly explained that she had only wanted to see if there were any good candidates available, but she had never expected there to be so many. “Now I can see a path forward,” Molly admitted. However, Molly worried that she might not be able to convince T.J. Alexis advised Molly to talk to him.

In Finn’s office, Finn thanked Martin for stopping by on short notice. Finn explained that he had talked to Gregory and Alexis, so he wanted Martin to represent him. Martin assumed that had been the reason for the call, but he wanted to be fully transparent because it would be a tough case to win. Finn confessed that he might have made things worse. Finn couldn’t hide his frustration as he insisted that the lawsuit was ridiculous because Muldoon had had a tapeworm, and he had refused follow-up tests. Martin empathized with Finn’s situation, but he advised Finn not to tell a grieving family that their need for redress was absurd.

Finn promised that he was not trying to downplay the Muldoon family’s pain because he had grieved, too. Finn filled Martin in about Dede Clark’s visit, and her implication that he should have immediately known that Muldoon had cancer in addition to the tapeworm. Just then, someone knocked on the door. Dede entered the office without waiting for an invitation, so Finn introduced her to his attorney. After Dede and Martin shook hands, Dede explained that she had a few more questions for Finn. Martin informed her that Finn would not be answering any questions until the deposition.

Dede conceded that it was Finn’s right, but she explained that they had to be crystal clear about what had led to Muldoon’s death. “I tell you what, why don’t we save the obfuscation for the courtroom?” Martin asked. Martin told the attorney that he was aware that the hospital would try to shield itself from accusations by putting all the blame on Finn. “That’s a bold accusation,” Dede said. Martin didn’t back down, but he advised Dede to consider changing her tactics because he could and would shift all the blame onto the hospital.

Martin proposed that Dede’s best course of action would be for the hospital to back up Finn, admitting that he had treated Muldoon in good faith and in accordance to all correct and medical standards. Martin told Dede that Muldoon’s death had been unforeseen and couldn’t have been prevented by Finn or the hospital. Dede smiled, but she reminded Martin that she couldn’t share the hospital’s position on the matter, and she looked forward to getting all of her questions answered at the deposition. After Dede left, Finn thanked Martin and admitted that he understood why Alexis had recommended Martin.

Martin advised Finn not to thank him yet because Martin would need to prep Finn for the deposition. Martin explained that Finn needed to stick to answering questions and not expanding on anything in an effort to explain things or defend himself. Finn promised to follow Martin’s instructions. Martin warned Finn that the hospital might offer the family a separate settlement, and they wouldn’t hesitate to throw Finn under the bus.

At Metro Court Restaurant, Ava met with Sonny. Sonny cut to the chase and revealed that Austin had been murdered. Stunned, Ava asked how Austin had been killed. “Maybe you should tell me,” Sonny said. Ava was shocked by the accusation, and she denied killing Austin. Sonny didn’t believe her, but she argued that she had no reason to kill Austin. Sonny pointed out that she had been played by Austin, and Austin had strung her along while taking orders from Cyrus.

Ava suggested that Sonny question Cyrus about the murder, but Sonny explained that he didn’t want the mother of his daughter going to jail, because it would hurt Avery. Sonny demanded the truth from Ava, but she was adamant that she’d had nothing to do with Austin’s murder. Sonny explained that he was running out of time to cover Ava’s tracks, so he needed to know the truth. When Sonny mentioned that Austin had been killed in Pautuck, Ava frowned because Austin had been glad to get away from Pautuck.

Sonny suggested that the killer had lured Austin to Pautuck, and he resumed questioning Ava about the last time that she’d seen Austin. Ava admitted that she and Austin had had a heated argument at the art gallery, but Austin had been alive when she had last seen him. Ava realized that Austin had known all along that Nikolas was alive. Sonny suggested that it was a motive for murder, and she might be a prime suspect, regardless of whether she was guilty of the crime or not.

At the hospital, Dante entered Mason’s room, but Mason immediately objected to Dante being there and yelled out for help. When Mason accused Dante of police brutality, Dante called for the guard and a nurse to enter the room and stand as witnesses. Dante informed Mason of Austin’s murder. Mason showed little reaction, but he did ask how Austin had been killed and if there were any suspects. Dante shared the details of Austin’s death, and he explained that he was there to question Mason about any possible suspects. Dante suggested that Mason might be able to help himself if he cooperated with the investigation.

Dante asked if Mason knew of anyone who would want to kill Austin. “Ava Jerome,” Mason said. Mason claimed that Ava and Austin had been involved in illegal activities, and they had been lovers. According to Mason, Austin couldn’t keep secrets, so Ava might have killed Austin to shut him up. Dante appeared skeptical and cut the visit short. Dante stopped in the doorway and informed Mason that Mason would be transferred to Pentonville later that night.