In the town square, Melinda saw Paulina at the café. Melinda congratulated Paulina on her win against Clint Rawlings. Paulina told Melinda that flattery would not secure Melinda’s old job back.

“I need a district attorney who can deliver,” Paulina argued. Melinda reminded Paulina that she had expressly said that she had not fired Melinda over job performance. “And I still think it was a huge mistake you made when you got rid of me,” Melinda added.

“All you did as D.A. was a whole lot of nothing,” Paulina said. Paulina reminded Melinda of her failed attempts to nail Li for attempted murder. “I notice that you haven’t appointed anyone to fill my position yet,” Melinda said. Paulina explained that she had not found the right person.

“You haven’t found anyone as capable, qualified, and as cutthroat as I am,” Melinda argued. Paulina asked Melinda why she cared. “[As a citizen], I am very concerned with how this city is being run,” Melinda said. Paulina advised Melinda to attend the next town hall.

In the DiMera living room, a frustrated E.J. muttered that he needed to speak to someone, since he could not contact Wei Shin. “I’m available. But under no circumstances are we to talk about work,” Nicole said as she took E.J.’s phone away from him. Nicole asked E.J. about their wedding night plans.

“I’m just so angry about Gabi and Stefan,” E.J. said. “So am I,” Nicole agreed. Nicole promised to help E.J. take back everything, but not on their wedding night. “You are going to focus on me, because I’m pretty sure I can take your mind off this for a little while,” Nicole said. “Just wait till I get my hands on Li Shin,” E.J. grumbled. E.J. agreed to focus on Nicole for the evening, and he apologized for having been distracted.

At the hospital, Wendy stared at Li’s empty bed. “You heard what Li said right before he died, right?” Wendy asked Tripp. Tripp nodded yes. “He said Gabi did this. She murdered my brother,” Wendy whispered. “I’m sorry, Wendy. We did everything we could to save him,” Tripp said. With a nod, Wendy said she knew.

“I’m gonna tear that bitch’s eyes out,” Wendy growled. “I know you want to hurt Gabi right now, but that is not what Li would have wanted,” Tripp said. In tears, Wendy noted that Gabi had never stopped torturing her brother. “All he ever wanted to do was love her,” Wendy said. “You want to know who [Li] loved? You. Wendy, he was so proud of you,” Tripp said. Tripp noted Li would not want Wendy to throw away her future for Gabi.

Furious, Wendy vowed revenge. “I understand wanting revenge. I do. I’ve been there, okay? And I wish to hell I hadn’t given in to that impulse,” Tripp said. “Ava’s alive. Li is gone,” Wendy said. In tears, Wendy noted that Li had always looked out for her and protected her from their father.

“Whenever I did something stupid, which was all the time, Li would step in and take the blame,” Wendy said. Wendy wondered aloud how to tell her father that his son was dead. Tripp promised to help Wendy through the grieving process. “My father doesn’t grieve. I’ve never even seen him cry,” Wendy said. Wendy argued that her father would want retribution.

“We told Harris what we know, okay? They’re going to do their investigation,” Tripp said. “Gabi practically confessed! You saw her. She was standing over Li with that knife, and she said she needed to get rid of it,” Wendy argued. Tripp reminded Wendy that they had prevented Gabi from destroying evidence.

“So what? I’m just supposed to just sit around and wait for Rafe to arrest his own sister? Like that’s gonna happen,” Wendy said. “I promise you, the cops will do their job. They are going to get justice for Li,” Tripp said.

At Wendy’s apartment, Harris prepared to arrest Gabi. “You can’t do that,” Stefan said. Stefan argued that Gabi had not been involved in the murder, but Harris countered that the evidence said otherwise. Harris explained that two witnesses had stated that they had seen Gabi standing over Li’s body with a knife.

“Those two witnesses also heard her say that she needed to get rid of the bloody knife. On top of that, Mr. Shin identified Gabi as his killer right before he died,” Harris said. Harris noted that there was more than enough probable cause for an arrest. “Then you will be arresting an innocent woman, because I didn’t kill Li Shin,” Gabi argued. Harris handcuffed Gabi, and he placed the knife in an evidence bag.

“My fingerprints are on that knife, but that doesn’t mean that I stabbed Li,” Gabi said. “I’m sure they’ll find other prints on there. The real killer’s prints,” Stefan added. “We’ll see,” Harris said. As Harris started to escort Gabi out, Stefan argued that Rafe would not appreciate an overzealous officer arresting his sister.

“Stefan, please don’t let them do this to me. Don’t let them lock me up again, okay?” Gabi pleaded. “I know you’re scared. Everything is going to be fine,” Stefan said. Stefan promised not to let anything bad happen to Gabi.

At the police station, Rafe asked Jada why she was not with her partner. “[Harris] caught a [homicide] case, actually, while I got stuck transferring a prisoner to Statesville,” Jada said. Rafe asked about the victim in Harris’ case. “Li Shin. Stabbed to death at his sister’s apartment,” Jada said. “Oh, my God. What else do you know?” Rafe said. With a shrug, Jada said she did not have any more information.

Harris walked in with Gabi, and Jada looked at Rafe. After Harris placed Gabi in the interrogation room, he returned to the bullpen and recited the facts of the case to Rafe and Jada. Harris handed Rafe the knife. “CSU’s at Wendy’s apartment,” Jada said. Rafe took the bag, and he thanked Harris. As Harris walked away, Jada asked a shaken Rafe if he was okay.

“My sister is a suspect in a homicide, so, um, no. No, I’m definitely not okay. I need to speak with her,” Rafe said. Jada offered to conduct the interview instead, but he declined. “I got this,” Rafe said. Rafe thanked Jada for her support, and he entered the interrogation room.

Rafe placed the knife on the table. “That was not me,” Gabi said as she pointed at the weapon. Rafe exhaled, and he reminded Gabi of her rights. Gabi confirmed that she knew she had the right not to speak to the cops. “Right now, I am not speaking to you as a cop. I am speaking to you as your brother. You’re in serious trouble, okay? Now, off the record and just between you and me, what the hell did you do?” Rafe asked. Gabi stressed that she had not done anything.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me the truth,” Rafe countered. Rafe told Gabi that Harris had briefed him. “I am innocent!” Gabi protested. Rafe advised Gabi to get a lawyer. “I need my brother! Rafe, I swear to you on my daughter’s life, I did not kill Li!” Gabi shouted. With a sigh, Rafe asked what had happened. Gabi told Rafe that Li had texted her.

“When I got there, the door was open, he was lying on the floor, and he had been stabbed,” Gabi explained. “With this knife?” Rafe asked. Gabi said yes. Rafe told Gabi about the eyewitness testimony. “Why were you holding the knife?” Rafe asked. “Because I pulled it out of Li’s back. I was trying to save him,” Gabi said. Rafe rubbed his forehead in frustration. “So, your fingerprints are all over the murder weapon,” Rafe whispered. Gabi admitted that what she had done had been stupid.

“I panicked,” Gabi explained. “Harris also told me that Li named you as his killer before he died,” Rafe said stiffly. Rafe asked why. “Maybe he was confused? Delusional?” Gabi said. Rafe asked Gabi if she had seen anyone else in the apartment. With a shrug, Gabi said the murderer had to have left before she had arrived. Gabi pleaded with Rafe to believe her. After a moment, Rafe nodded yes, and he told his sister that he believed her.

“That’s everything that happened. So, can I please go home now?” Gabi asked. “You were accused of murder!” Rafe countered. Rafe argued that all the evidence pointed to Gabi. “This looks bad. Really bad,” Rafe said. Gabi argued that she had been set up before. “Someone is framing me for killing Li,” Gabi said.

With a sigh, Rafe asked for more information about Li’s text. “Why did he ask you to come over?” Rafe asked. Gabi attempted to evade the question, but Rafe pushed her to tell him the truth. “You need to tell me everything,” Rafe said. Gabi reluctantly told Rafe what she and Stefan had done.

“So, you enlisted Wilhelm Rolf, a fugitive wanted by this department, to convince Li that you’d been kidnapped by Megan DiMera?” Rafe asked. Gabi explained that the plan had been to get Li’s confession on tape about Li’s efforts to murder Stefan. “So you could use that tape and get his shares?” Rafe asked. Gabi nodded yes. “And he did sign over the shares to us,” Gabi confirmed. Gabi added that Li had sent her the text several hours later that night.

“When I got there, I told you what I saw. That is it. That’s the whole story!” Gabi said. “So, you created this whole scheme, this whole thing, just so you could screw over E.J. DiMera?” Rafe asked. Gabi nodded yes. Gabi reminded Rafe of the history between the brothers. “Stefan wanted E.J. out of the office, but E.J. wanted Stefan dead,” Gabi argued. Gabi told Rafe about Li’s confession.

“He got what he deserved!” Gabi yelled. When Rafe pointed out that it sounded like Gabi believed that Li had deserved to be stabbed. “I meant that he deserved to lose his shares,” Gabi clarified. “Damn it! I told you to stay away from him!” Rafe countered. Gabi argued that she could not forget that E.J. had still been in charge of her husband’s company.

“You didn’t get the confession out of Li, so I did what I had to do,” Gabi said. “So, this is my fault?” Rafe yelled. Gabi swore that she was not blaming her brother. “I am scared out of my mind, and I need you on my side,” Gabi stressed. With her voice cracking, Gabi pleaded for help. “I can’t go back to prison, not after what happened the last time. And I can’t put Arianna through that again,” Gabi said through tears. Rafe took his sister’s hand, and he told her things would be okay.

“I’m going to help you,” Rafe whispered. With a sigh, Rafe argued that Li’s identification of Gabi as the killer could have been motivated by Li’s anger over Gabi’s blackmail. Rafe explained that Li had had motive to set up Gabi. “You think that he would go this far to punish me?” Gabi asked. Rafe reminded Gabi that Li had been obsessed with her.

“His obsession had already made him do crazy things. The guy was lonely. He was unstable. He was unemployed. And then when you and Stefan took those shares from him, his whole life was just built on trying to get you back. And then when you did that to him, you humiliated him,” Rafe said. Confused, Gabi asked Rafe if he was suggesting that Li had asked someone to stab him in the back to frame her.

“In his sick mind, maybe it was poetic justice,” Rafe said. Gabi shook her head in disbelief. “You took everything from him except the ability to exact revenge,” Rafe argued. “So, what, the final move in his life is gonna be to make sure that I am in prison for the rest of my life? You think a jury is going to buy that?” Gabi asked incredulously. “Not without proof,” Rafe said. Gabi asked Rafe to find the proof, and Rafe promised to try his best. “I believe you, Gabi. I believe you are innocent. But as it stands now, it is going to take a miracle to convince anyone else of that,” Rafe said. Gabi sighed.

When Stefan arrived at the police station, Harris told him that Gabi was talking to Rafe in the interrogation room. “Let Gabi talk to her brother. If there is anything that Rafe can do to help her, he will,” Jada said. Stefan stressed that his wife had not killed Li. “If that’s true –” Jada started. “There is no if!” Stefan screamed. Stefan demanded to know why Jada and Harris were not out searching for alternate suspects.

“I know you’re upset. There’s no reason to yell,” Harris said. Frustrated, Stefan announced that he planned to call a lawyer for Gabi. Jada agreed that was a good idea.

At the café in the square, Melinda was shocked when she saw the news alert on her phone about Li’s murder. Melinda saw Wendy walking by with Tripp. “Wendy, I just saw the news about your brother. I am so sorry,” Melinda said. “You’re not sorry about Li. Not at all. I know damn well you are just another one of the vipers in this town who wanted to take him down. Well, he’s down for good. Happy now?” Wendy yelled. Melinda was taken aback, then she stammered that she had heard about Gabi’s arrest.

“You used sex to try and get a confession out of my brother, which made me sick to hear about, and makes me even sicker now,” Wendy said. “Li, he played me as much as I played him,” Melinda countered. Wendy scoffed. “The only difference is, he actually liked you. God only knows why,” Wendy said. Melinda said that she had liked Li, too. Melinda admitted that she had manipulated Li, but she had also had genuine feelings for him. “And I am terribly sorry he is gone,” Melinda said. “I don’t want your damn condolences,” Wendy growled.

“Well, you have them. Not only am I sorry that you lost your brother, but I am sorry that I let my ambitions blind me from what could have been between us,” Melinda said. With tears in her eyes, Wendy asked Melinda if she believed that a real relationship had been possible between Melinda and Li. Melinda shrugged, and she blinked back tears.

At the DiMera mansion, E.J. and Nicole were on their way upstairs when there was a knock at the front door. It was Paulina. Paulina explained that she had been reelected as mayor and had a job offer for E.J.

“This is going to have to wait,” E.J. said. Despite the fact that Nicole was in a wedding dress, Paulina asked if E.J. was busy. E.J. noted that it was his and Nicole’s wedding night. As Paulina started to leave, Nicole said, “The mayor came all the way over here. The least we can do is hear her out.” Paulina offered E.J. the job of deputy mayor. E.J. said he was flattered, but he declined.

“Now my focus is on taking back DiMera,” E.J. said. Paulina scoffed. “Right now, you need a job. I need you to come work for me. Now, I’d say that would be a win-win for the Price-DiMera family,” Paulina said. As Nicole smiled at E.J., he sighed.

In the police station bullpen, Rafe told Jada and Harris that Gabi had claimed she had not killed Li. “And I believe her,” Rafe added. “We’ll follow the evidence, and hopefully it will turn out that you’re right,” Jada said. “Or I’m in denial, and Gabi is going down for murder,” Rafe countered. Jada counseled Rafe to take the investigation one step at a time. With a nod, Rafe handed the knife to Harris, and he asked Harris to take it down to the lab. “We already know Gabi’s prints are gonna be on the handle. And hopefully, with any luck, someone else’s will be, too,” Rafe said.

When Wendy and Tripp returned to their apartment, Wendy kneeled next to where her brother had been stabbed. Wendy started to sob, and Tripp held her in his arms.

In the square, Melinda stared at a photo of Li on her phone. “I really did like you. And I’ll miss you,” Melinda said as she sniffled back tears. Paulina approached, and she told Melinda not to cry about her old job. “I just hired a new D.A.,” Paulina said.

In the interrogation room, Gabi told Stefan that she had given Rafe the whole story. “He believed me,” Gabi said. “Well, that’s because he loves you. And he knows you’re telling the truth,” Stefan said. With a shake of her head, Gabi admitted that the evidence against her was damning.

“I just wish I knew what actually happened. Someone tried to make it look like I killed Li, but I didn’t. So, who did?” Gabi said. Stefan told Gabi that he had called Belle. “You convinced your brother of your innocence. All you need to do now is convince the D.A.,” Stefan said. E.J. walked in and laughed.

“Good luck with that,” E.J. said. As E.J. smirked, Stefan noted that the situation did not affect E.J.’s place at DiMera. “This isn’t about DiMera,” E.J. said. E.J. explained that he was the new D.A. “I am greatly looking forward to making you, Gabriela, my very first conviction,” E.J. said.