Matthew Ashford Articles: SOW Jan. 2003

JACK CONFESSES TO COLIN'S murder this week on Days of Our Lives, as the show kicks off a murder mystery that will affect nearly every character in Salem. But is he really the culprit.

MURDER, HE WROTE
"Jack is trying to protect Jennifer," sets up Matthew Ashford (Jack). "He has this dreadful feeling that she may have been involved in the murder."

Brandon pronounces Colin dead, as Jack, Jennifer, Belle, Fay, Victor and Nicole surround the body and wait for the police to arrive.

"Jack asks Jennifer if she knew that Colin was dead," continues Ashford. "Jennifer doesn't exactly respond, and from the look in her eye Jack knows that there is something weird going o. Jennifer's response is a little different, from everybody else's. Jack has a funny sense about it."

[stuff not about Jack or Jennifer deleted]

TRUE CONFESSIONS?

Inside the Kiriakis mansion, "Jennifer is looking really out of it, and she starts acting stranger and stranger," notes Ashford. "Jack has this feeling that Jennifer is about to spill. So he seizes the moment. He grabs Bo and says, `Look, this is it I did it.'"

Everyone is stunned, especially Jennifer. "At first, she can't believe it," relates Melissa Reeves (Jennifer). "The she can believe it, because Colin has affected their lives so much. Jennifer had just told jack earlier that she slept with Colin, and Jack was very upset. She didn't even get a chance to tell Jack that she had to do it because Colin was going to kill Jack."
Jack is carted off to police headquarters.

The next morning, jennifer begs Hope to try to remember anything she can about the previous night. Hope has a memory flash of seeing blood on her hand, but insists she knows nothing that could help Jack. Later a devastated Jennifer watches as Jack is booked for murder.

THE SILENT TREATMENT
The police continue to interrogate Jack, who has nothing more to say. "He's not saying anything other than,`Book me. Let's get on with this,'" reveals Ashford."Mickey, whom Jack has been able to hook into representing him, tries to get time alone with Jack. But all Jack will tell him is, `I did it. i don't have the weapon anymore, but I did it.'"

Bo suspects he's protecting someone, so Abe and Bo question Jennifer. But she's also keeping her mouth shut. "Bo is asking her questions, but she's not even answering. She's absolutely quiet," states Reeves.

GET-OUT-OF-JAIL FREE CARD

"Bo plays Jack and Jennifer against each other," muses Ashford. "When Jennifer realizes that Jack thinks she murdered Colin, she starts spilling everything she knows."

"Jennifer then tells Jack, `Abe and Bo think that you confessed to murdering Colin to protect me, because I did it. But I swear to you, I did not kill him.'"

GUILTY AS CHARGED?

With no concrete evidence against Jack, he's released. That lease a slew of other suspects — and it doesn't look good for the Bradys when a letter from Colin turns up...

— JDL