JANUARY 3, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,096)
Bill informed Nancy the plan to convince Cookie ghosts aren't present backfired. Ron asked Vic to represent him in the divorce suit for Cookie, but Vic warned him it isn't easy to get a divorce just because both parties are willing. Vic hoped the slow legal process would give Ron and Cookie time to change their minds, but Ron stated he's ready for other women. Vic feared Ron meant Nicole. Martha and Winston lamented Julie Hillyer's death and Orin's being widowed a second time. When Martha told Winston about the seance, Winston recalled reading a biography of Alexandra Mansfield Pollock, the wife of Monticello's first mayor in 1850. Cookie wasn't phased by Winston's suggestion that Alexandra was a wicked woman. The disappearance of a dozen eggs stymied Martha, while in the secret room, Frank was busy frying himself breakfast.

JANUARY 4, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,097)
Martha joked to Nancy and Cookie that the ghosts made food disappear. Cookie's head was filled with romantic ideas about Alexandra, the sort of wild, free woman Cookie longs to be. Vic noted Adam's bitter tone when Adam speculated Nicole is happy to let Ron cry on her shoulder. Adam called to invite Nicole to dinner, but there was no answer. Nancy took an instant dislike to Fred Burns, who stopped by the Marceaus with Celia. Frank jumped for joy when Nancy admitted to Martha she and Mike might buy a larger house to accomodate Cookie. Alone in her room, a despondent Cookie begged Alexandra to appear.

JANUARY 5, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,098)
Adam pressed Nicole for her whereabouts the previous night, but Nicole refused to answer. Vic tried to stall Ron's insistence on speeding up the divorce. In jail, Kate was stunned to learn from Adam that she may be imprisoned for two months. Adam balked at Kate's insistence that she can't be away from her husband's "spirit" for more than two weeks. Bill dismissed Jessup's desire to continue investigating Alexandra's spirit, then suggested he get permission from Nancy or Ron. Ron met with Nicole to talk about opening his own PR firm. A worried Vic spotted Nicole and Vic and misconstrued their intimate lunch.

JANUARY 6, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,099)
Jessup implored Nancy to use her common sense and allow him to continue investigating Alexandra's spirit so that he can prove definitively whether or not she exists. Nancy rejected Jessup's idea, stating Cookie is being ruled by her imagination, but Jessup and Nancy agreed to let Jim decide. Adam admitted to Martha he's disturbed by Kate's speaking of Frank as if he were alive. Jessup convinced Jim that he can help Cookie's recovery by proving whether or not psychic phenomena is at work in the Marceau home. Liz phoned Jim to say she's on her way back to Monticello with Orin, who stared blankly ahead from his wheelchair.

JANUARY 7, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,100)
Bill paced impatiently waiting for Jessup's arrival, then declared he couldn't believe being talked into another seance. Nancy delighted Vic with news that Laurie is returning in a week. Vic confided to Nancy he's going to propose to Laurie as soon as she gets home. Nancy and Vic speculated Mike's visit to Capital City concerned a narcotics investigation by the Crime Commission. After a physical examination of the house with electronic equipment, Jessup declared the house "spirit free." Bill made Jessup divulge his findings to Cookie, but while he and Cookie talked, the thermometer plunged down to 30 degrees. Jessup declared a spirit is active in the house but didn't know whether it was good or evil. Jim welcomed Liz and Orin home. Orin burst into sobs, begging Liz to take him home to Claybank.

JANUARY 10, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,101)
Liz fretted about being inadequate since Orin doesn't want to share the Fields' home. Jim evaded Liz's speculation that Jim is probably unhappy to have Orin living with them. Nancy searched the real estate ads for a new home. Mike returned from Capitol City. Bill brooded about Jessup and told Martha he wasn't impressed by all of Jessup's "scientific" gadgets. Jim was worried when Orin implied that they should all live together at Claybank.

NOTES: Other clothing stores in Monticello: Bon-Bon and Whitman's.

JANUARY 11, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,102)
Nancy queried Mike about his business in Capitol City. Mike confessed that the Crime Commission is searching for over a million dollars worth of heroin that disappeared a year ago after it was to be distributed from the Monticello area. Mike revealed he's involved because Joe Dennison, a former client, offered information in return for clemency, and would only speak with Mike. Dennison stated the heroin shipment had been hijacked by a rival gang. Ron signed preliminary divorce papers at Vic's office. When Ron commented about being late for a lunch date, Vic insinuated it might be with Nicole. Ron insisted Adam is solely responsible for the rift between himself and Nicole - a rift that can be healed with a marriage proposal. Mike and Nancy telephoned Cookie with the news that they're looking for a larger house, but Cookie wasn't pleased at Mike's suggestion it would be big enough for Cookie to stay with them. Laurie arrived home unexpectedly. Mike phoned Vic, who was ecstatic to hear of Laurie's return. Laurie agreed to have dinner with Vic. Nancy told Mike that Vic intends to propose to Laurie at dinner.

JANUARY 12, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,103)
Dining with Mike, Adam admitted that he and Nicole aren't seeing each other personally very often. Nicole visited with Cookie and was uncomfortable when Cookie made references to being Adam's first girlfriend in Monticello. Later, Cookie claimed that even beautiful women like Nicole and Tiffany Whitney would be no match for Alexandra. Cookie told Nicole that Jessup is performing another seance tomorrow night and invited Nicole. Nicole was embarrassed when Cookie asked Nicole to bring Adam, and Nicole was forced to admit she and Adam aren't seeing as much of one another any more. Cookie told Nicole about Alexandra and what a wicked lady she was - stealing men from other women. Adam noted Vic's jittery demeanor when Vic and Laurie arrived at The Coach House. Later, Mike confided to Adam that Vic intends to propose marriage. Vic nervously gulped down margaritas while trying to muster the courage to propose.

JANUARY 13, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,104)
When Vic steered the conversation to marriage, Laurie admitted finding a husband wouldn't be a goal for her, nor would it necessarily bring fulfillment. Adam anxiously answered the phone, hoping it was Nicole, but it was only Jim. Adam told Jim he wants to visit with Orin. When Jim wondered if Nicole would be coming too, Adam said she probably wouldn't be able to make it. Meanwhile, Nicole phoned Martha to accept Cookie's invitation to the seance, but stated that she didn't think Adam would be coming with her. Mike confessed to Nancy that Vic is exactly the type of man he wants for a son-in-law, but feared that Vic wouldn't be able to muster the courage to actually propose. Thinking about Nicole, Adam set aside his pride and called her, but she was still on the phone with Martha. Martha convinced Nicole to telephone Adam, but when she called, he was already on the phone dialing her number again. After several failed attempts to call one another, Adam and Nicole finally reached one another, but faced a dilemma when Adam insisted they visit Orin, while Nicole said she'd promised Cookie to atend Jessup's seance. Adam solved the problem by suggesting they do both. Vic almost blew his chance to propose, but outside the Karr home, he finally blurted out a proposal. Laurie happily accepted and pulled Vic in for a long kiss. Mike and Nancy came to the door and saw that Vic and Laurie, locked in a passionate embrace, were oblivious to the fact that they were leaning against the doorbell.

NOTE: Laurie mentioned her late mother Sara Lane Karr and being kidnapped by Eric Barrington.

JANUARY 14, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,105)
Bill admitted to Cookie and Martha that he ran a check on Jessup, who doesn't have a police record, but before Bill could elaborate on something else in Jessup's past, Jessup arrived. Bill elicited a confession from Jessup that he once worked as a hypnotist on the stage. Liz feared Adam's presence might harm Orin since Adam had saved Julie's life. Adam and Orin reminisced about Julie's murder trial, then Orin burst into tears. Jessup became defensive at Bill's implication that Jessup might be able to hypnotize people into seeing things that aren't really there. Adam and Nicole were late to arrive at the Marceaus. As the group gathered around a table, Jessup scared everyone with the idea that spirits return for a reason - and the reason might be a purely evil one. During the seance, Jessup went into a trance, then, speaking in Orin's voice, begged Julie not leave him as their plane plummeted toward the earth.

JANUARY 17, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,106)
Seemingly reliving the Hillyer plane crash, Jessup collapsed to the floor, as Martha screamed. Adam reluctantly admitted that the voice did sound like Orin. Meanwhile, in the basement, an amused Frank Sloane decided maybe the house was haunted after all. A dazed Cookie decided to retire to her room. While Jessup remained unconscious, a cynical Bill and Mike speculated Jessup may have put himself under with self-hypnosis. When Jim agreed with Liz that Orin should go to bed, Orin suddenly turned on Jim. Orin insisted he couldn't heal emotionally or physically unless he returns to Claybank. Liz couldn't dissuade Orin, who said he'd telephone a housekeeping service and have Claybank reopened. Jessup awoke with no memory of the trance. When Nicole informed him that he seemed to relive the plane crash that took Julie Hillyer's life, Jessup declared the Marceau home a haven for departed spirits. Frank worried when he overheard Jessup state that every inch of the house be thoroughly investigated.

JANUARY 18, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,107)
Adam suggested to Bill that Kate Sloane might be released if she agrees to leave town and face immediate imprisonment if she were ever to return to Monticello. Bill was reluctant to accept Adam's plan. Mike and Nancy grew nostalgic looking through their wedding album. Nancy suggested Laurie not marry until she finishes college in June. Later, at breakfast, Laurie agreed to Vic's idea they set a June wedding date. Adam was stunned at Kate's refusal of his offer to get her out of jail. Kate told Adam she'd anything to end her incarceration except- leave Monticello. While arguing with Adam, Kate let it slip that her husband would "starve" if she leaves town.

NOTE: Another continuity error. Mike states that he and Nancy have been married eleven years when it's technically only nine. This is also a direct contradiction to an episode three years earlier (Episode# 3,354, 2/27/69) in which Mike and Nancy celebrated their tenth anniversary.

JANUARY 19, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,108)
To be released from jail, Kate counter-offered to tell Cookie that the Marceau haunting was a complete hoax. Martha grimaced at Cookie's suggestion that Martha tell Orin about Simon Jessup and his ability to contact Julie. Orin used self-pity to lure Liz's attention away from Jim, who tried hard to control his anger. Cookie happily suggested inviting Orin to the next seance, then begged Bill to promise to have Jessup back again. While Cookie walked around the room, waving her hands and feeling for cold spots, Bill agreed with Adam that they should get Kate Sloane to the Marceau house as soon as possible.

JANUARY 20, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,109)
Liz couldn't believe her ears when Orin suggested they triple the contractor's fee to get Claybank renovated in a week. Liz commented Orin had never used his money to wield power before, but Orin insisted money is all he has left. Then he upset Liz by claiming she no longer needs or loves him since she has Jim. Vic informed Mike that he and Laurie have set a June wedding date. Laurie was saddened to learn Vic is representing Ron and Cookie in the divorce, and made him promise divorce would never happen to them. Bill was shocked to learn from Mike that five million dollars in narcotics are hidden somewhere in Monticello. Mike and Bill hoped that Dennison might be able to finger the ring-leader of the narcotics ring, but then Bill realized that Joseph Dennison was the prisoner who was stabbed to death at the Federal penitentiary that morning. Orin offered to make Jim a rich man if he agrees to move Liz and himself into Claybank.

JANUARY 21, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,110)
Adam arranged for Kate's release on bond, which Adam paid. Nicole accepted a lunch date with Ron, much to Adam's displeasure. In the Marceau basement, Frank was furious to hear that Kate was going to the Marceaus' to confess. Cookie flirted with Adam when he and Kate arrived at Martha's. Later, Cookie wouldn't believe Kate's insistence that the house is not haunted by Alexandra. Cookie accused Bill and Adam of bribing Kate to say the house wasn't haunted. Nicole and Ron commiserated about divorce, then Nicole agreed to have dinner with him. Back at the law office, Adam confronted Kate with his suspicion that Frank isn't dead at all, and Kate won't leave Monticello because she has to take care of him. Kate protested otherwise, but Adam bluffed by claiming that he already found Frank. When Adam's phone rang, he lied to Kate that Frank was on the other end and handed the phone to her as proof. Kate took the receiver and called Frank's name, only to find it was actually Nicole. While Kate screamed about being tricked, Adam told Nicole to get back to the office as Kate would be making an important statement.

JANUARY 24, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,111)
A furious Kate denied Adam's allegations that Frank is still alive, but Adam wasn't convinced. Martha and Cookie argued about Alexandra, and when Martha stated Alexandra is an evil spirit who wants to harm Cookie, Cookie rejoiced that Martha does actually believe in the spirit's existence. Bill was disappointed to learn that Kate didn't convince Cookie the house isn't haunted. Jealous, Adam grilled Nicole about her lunch date with Ron. While Bill feared Kate would cause trouble during her release on bond, Adam petitioned Judge Daniels to speed up Kate's trial. Adam stunned Bill with the theory that Frank Sloane might be alive and living somehere in the Marceau house.

JANUARY 25, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,112)
Bill was reluctant to accept Adam's theory, then called in Lt. Jeff Blaine, the officer who was present the night Frank was supposedly shot and killed. Blaine stated with some certainty that Frank was dead when he hit the water, but Adam still wasn't convinced. During a session with Jim, Cookie admitted she wants to be exactly like Alexandra, a woman who was indifferent to men and incapable of being hurt by anyone. Orin questioned Liz about Jim's success as a psychiatrist. Cookie told Jim that Simon Jessup relived Orin and Julie's plane crash. In the basement, Frank wasn't happy to see Kate, who hugged him joyously. Adam urged Bill to search the house one more time just to make sure Frank Sloane isn't hiding there.

JANUARY 26, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,113)
Frank accused Kate of telling Adam about the secret room, then threatened to choke the truth out of her if she didn't tell the truth. Kate warned Frank she's had enough of his ingratitude and promised to leave him alone to die if he didn't stop hurting her. Nancy fretted over a letter Mike received from Doug Hastings, but Mike promised the Crime Commission hasn't reconvened. Nancy planned to throw an engagement party for Laurie and Vic. Martha caught Bill probing the walls in the living room. Bill revealed to Martha that Adam thinks Frank Sloane is alive and living in a hidden room in their house. Kate and Frank anxiously held their breath when Martha and Bill started to search the basement, but Jessup's arrival interrupted the search. Jessup told Martha and Bill that he'd like to put Cookie under hypnosis.

JANUARY 27, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,114)
Ceila stopped by the Marceau home, lamenting she never sees husband Fred, who is busy buying "commodoties." Martha and Ceila discussed Jessup's desire to hypnotize Cookie, and Celia commented she read about a similar case in which a yound girl was hypnotized and recalled a previous life. Nancy called Martha with an invitation to Vic and Laurie's engagement party. Ceila offered to stay with Cookie while the Marceaus attend the party. Nancy called Jim and Liz with an invitation, but Liz declined as they're busy with Orin. Liz told Nancy that Orin is living at Claybank with Margaret Hubbell, a hired nurse. Orin grew nostalgic upon entering his old bedroom, which has not changed since the day he and Julie left for Italy. Orin and Jim argued about the Fields moving to Claybank, then Orin forced Jim to admit that he wasn't happy about Orin living in the Fields' apartment. After Jim and Liz left, Orin fought with Nurse Hubbell and ordered her out of the house, stating that he won't be alone much longer.

JANUARY 28, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,115)
At the party, Mike and Nancy surprised everyone with news of Laurie's engagement to Vic. While Martha and Bill celebrated at the Karrs', Jessup stopped by the Marceau home. Ceila reluctantly let Jessup in the house. Jessup persuaded Cookie to undergo hypnosis in order to contact Alexandra. Cookie went under fairly easily, just as Martha and Bill arrived home with Adam and Nicole. Bill was furious with Jessup, then Cookie, declaring herself to be Alexandra, grabbed Adam and gave him a long, passionate kiss.

JANUARY 31, 1972 (EPISODE# 4,116)
Bill raked Jessup over the coals for hypnotizing Cookie without anybody's permission. Ceila cried at Bill's assertion she's a bad caretaker and maybe shouldn't be invited back to their house anymore. Mike and Nancy grew wistful thinking about the possibility of grandchildren, then talked about buying the house on Walnut Road, which they both liked. Nancy's happy mood was disrupted by a call from Doug Hastings, who made plans to visit Mike in Monticello. Adam speculated to Nicole that Jessup hypnotized Cookie into believing she's Alexandra Pollock. Ceila, waiting for Fred, worried about what he would do when he finds out about her faux pas with Jessup. Martha promised she and Bill wouldn't mention it, then Bill apologized for being so angry. When Fred arrived for Ceila, Martha and Bil noticed that Ceila seemed afraid of her husband. Outside the Marceau house, a suspicious Fred forced Ceila to admit what she did, then he slapped her hard across the face when she admitted Martha and Bill might not invite her back. Ceila was stunned at Fred's accusation that Ceila has "spoiled everything" for him.

FEBRUARY-NOVEMBER 1972

Bill discovered Frank Sloane's secret room in the basement. Frank confessed to having stolen heroin from a rival gang, which he had hidden in the Marceau home. Frank was sent to prison. Cookie finally realized that the "haunting" was all a hoax and sought therapy with Jim Fields. In time, Cookie began to trust Ron once again. They reconciled and remarried at the Karr home in September 1972. Shortly thereafter, Ron accepted a position with a New York PR firm. He and Cookie left Monticello.

Fred Burns was revealed to be the head of a major drug cartel in Monticello. To get information on a tidal wave of drug trafficking, Vic secretly agreed to be "arrested" and sent to prison. Laurie, unaware of Vic's undercover work, angrily cancelled their wedding. In prison, Vic's life was saved by Johnny Dallas, a sympathetic cell-mate.

Fearing that the police were closing in on him, Fred ordered hit man Lobo Haines to kidnap Nancy. Lobo held Nancy hostage and was about to kill her, when Bill arrived and shot Haines to death. Fred Burns was arrested and sent to prison. Laurie, learning of Vic's undercover work, begged him to forgive her for not trusting him. They reconciled and planned a November wedding.

Still distraught over the loss of his wife Julie, Orin Hillyer continued to cause problems in his daughter's marriage. Orin decided to contact Julie's only living relative Elly Jo Jamison, who was living in Pensacola, Florida. Elly Jo soon arrived in Monticello and schemed to become Orin's wealthy new wife; however, she found herself attracted to Lenny Small, Orin's chauffeur. Elly Jo's brother Kevin, just released from prison for petty larcency, followed Elly Jo to Monticello, but was unable to find work due to his prison record.

In November, Martha and Bill welcomed the return of adopted daughter Phoebe, who arrived from Europe. Martha was astonished to learn Phoebe had left behind an older, married lover named Ashley Reynolds. Phoebe soon met and developed a relationship with Kevin Jamison.

Having decided that Adam would never commit to marriage, Nicole presented Adam with an ultimatum: propose before midnight December 31, 1972, or lose her forever. With that, she ended their relationship and went to work as a legal secretary for attorney Jake Berman. Jake secretly developed an insane obessesion with Nicole. Meanwhile, Jim began therapy with Mrs. Wilson, a new patient who feared her mentally unbalanced husband was plotting to kill her. Mrs. Wilson was actually an alias for Edith Berman, Jake's wife. Fearing that Edith might warn Nicole about his mental instability, Jake murdered Edith and arranged her death to appear a suicide.

DECEMBER 1972

Kevin Jamison, depressed by his job seeking failures due to his prison record, recklessly attempted, with his friend Paulie, to rob Claybank, the Hillyer estate. Elly Jo covered Kevin's involvement in the aborted scheme by making it seem that Kevin scared off the burglar. Orin Hillyer was now grateful to Kevin. Joe Pollock gave Kevin a cub reporter's job on the Monticello News. Kevin and Phoebe found their relationship deepening, and Phoebe slowly forgot her married boyfriend in Europe, Ashley Reynolds. However, Ashley suddenly arrived in Monticello and begged Phoebe to see him. Kevin was furious when Phoebe weakened and broke her New Year's Eve date with him to see Ashley.

Orin surprised Elly Jo and the chauffeur Lenny Small making love and suffered a heart attack. She convinced Orin that his entrance saved her from being attacked by the drunken chauffeur, and she continued to try to convince Orin that she loves him in order to get him to marry her. Elly Jo resented Angela Morgan's concern for Orin and warned Angela that Orin is her property. Elly Jo was quite upset to learn that Liz is planning to return to Claybank with her husband Jim Fields to care for her father during his convalescence.

Simon Jessup, a con artist posing as a psychic researcher, learned that Orin's new will names Elly Jo third in line, after Liz and her expectant baby, as heir to the Hillyer fortune. He told Elly Jo about the will and inferred that with his help, all her dreams and desires for her future can come true.

Jake Berman arranged for and accepted a law partnership in New York City and convinced Nicole to work for him there. He realized she will never give up on Adam Drake and marry him if Adam is around as a reminder. She agreed Adam has made it clear he won't consider marriage. Apart, she and Adam were both miserable. Vic Lamont, Mike, and Nancy Karr convinced Adam he has been wrong and he decided to follow Nicole to New York. Arriving late on New Year's eve, Adam accomplished the seemingly impossible by locating Nicole at midnight. With the clock chiming at midnight, he proposed to her in the middle of Jake's own proposal. Nicole was overwhelmed and ecstatic, as she still loved Adam very much.