Howard Wise/jpistudios.com
With Claire poised for her first riding lesson at the Newman ranch, Cole visits the stables to make sure everything is safely set up. After, he goes up to the main house to check on Victor, who’s been alone while Nikki is in rehabilitation for her drinking problem. “When Cole comes into the house, Victor is carrying a silver tray with Brussels sprouts that are sautéed to perfection,” begins Cole’s portrayer, J. Eddie Peck. “When he asks Victor what he’s doing with the food, he answers that he’s taking the Brussels sprouts down to the stables to feed the horses. Victor claims that the sprouts are left over from last night’s dinner and he doesn’t want any food going to waste.”
The explanation arouses some suspicion in Cole. “When he took care of the horses years ago, they would only get oats or go outside to graze,” Peck points out. “Cole even tells Victor that it’s very different now with Victor personally bringing food to the horses — on a silver tray no less.”
Victor smoothly attests that he wants all of his animals to be well taken care of. But, notes Peck, “There’s something about Victor that just isn’t adding up. For a couple of weeks now, he’s been vague whenever asked what he’s been up to. Finally Cole just comes out and says that every time he talks to Victor, Cole doesn’t feel like he’s getting the whole truth.”
Victor puts on a show of taking offense at Cole’s show of distrust, pointing out that Cole has been allowed to come and go at the ranch without question because he trusts Cole. Victor chafes that he feels disrespected in his own home. “The last thing Cole wants is to insult Victor,” Peck continues. “Cole and Victor have had a good relationship for many years, but this time Cole is thinking about his daughter. Claire is living at the tack house and he wants to make sure that Victor isn’t hiding something that could harm her in any way.”
Cole asks one last question: Where does Victor keep disappearing to? “Cole says he has noticed on several occasions that Victor seems to vanish for a while but never actually leaves the ranch,” shares Peck. “Cole explains that when he’s checked with security, he’s told that Victor is still on the grounds because he’s not been seen leaving. Victor tries to laugh it off, until Cole calls him out for deflecting his questions.”
Victor is peeved when Cole says that their conversation is only making him even more suspicious. Victor insists they want the same thing, to ensure Claire and rest of the family are safe, then abruptly tells Cole good-bye. Victor waits until Cole leaves, then picks up the tray and heads to the basement. Later, he emerges through the basement door — unaware that he’s not alone.
“That’s when we see that Cole slipped back into the house and it’s apparent that Victor lied about going to the stables,” says Peck. “Not only that, but he came up from the basement with an empty tray and now Cole is wondering just who is he feeding down there. Cole realizes he has no choice but to investigate this on his own….”
