SALEM EXPLODES: EJ TURNS ON BELLE — WILL JOHNNY GO TO PRISON BECAUSE OF HIS OWN FAMILY?!

Roman’s lamenting to Kate about having to testify against Johnny. She assures him he’ll get through it, then grabs an apron and says she’s “starting my other job” to help out in the pub. Roman protests, but she says it’s a family business and they’re family — she’s there whatever he needs.

Philip Knows Stephanie Wrote the Novel

Roman heads out and Philip drops in to offer his mom some company and check on how she’s doing at Titan publishing. He read One Stormy Night and thinks it’s a best seller. But the author’s using a pseudonym, right? Of course, Kate says, but she can’t tell anyone who they are. “Except, I’m your boss, remember? You have to tell me.”

But Kate won’t budge. “Fine!” Philip shouts. He’s got a pretty good idea anyway. He recognized some “semi-autographical parts of the novel.” Kate gets flustered, which Philip takes to mean the writer is, indeed, Stephanie. “Shhhh! You can’t let anyone know that you know!”

Philip thinks Stephanie’s not just hiding her identity because of her job — if he recognized himself in the book, other exes might, too. Kate assures Philip that they took steps to prevent that, and she’s there to protect Stephanie. Unlike what happened with her book and her affair with Bill Horton while married to Curtis.

Jada Has Some Advice for Stephanie

Stephanie calls and leaves a message for EJ, which Jada overhears and realizes means her roommate is working for the hospital owner. Is she sure she wants to do that? No, Stephanie admits, but she needs a big client. And she wants to be a buffer between EJ and her mom.

Jada understands, but she still hates the idea. And Stephanie gets that with all EJ’s done to Jada and, well, everyone. Jada is about to leave for court when she finds the box Alex found delivered a little while back. Stephanie figures it’s from one of her exes, and if it’s from who she thinks, she’d rather pretend it never showed up.

Jada tells her she can’t just ignore it, but Stephanie does just that and drops the package in the trash.

Everyone Gets to the Courthouse

Chad runs into EJ in the square, who notes that his brother is Belle’s first witness. He tells Chad to just tell the truth and let him handle the rest. Chad assures him it’ll work out the way it’s supposed to.

Johnny walks by Belle as she’s on the phone in the courthouse, trying to slip by without talking to him until she stops him and tells him she loves and believes in him. Johnny knows she’s just doing her job and heads in, then EJ bumps past Belle, too, with a curt, “Counselor.”

Inside the courtroom, Johnny tells EJ about Grandma Susan’s visit. She’s convinced he’s innocent. Because he is, EJ replies, and he has a pretty good idea who shot him. Johnny warns his dad to not go anywhere near Chanel during the trial. She didn’t do it.

Was Belle or EJ More Convincing?

Belle enters with a glance at the guys, then the judge and the trial gets underway. Belle gives her opening statement, addressing the jury, making clear she plans on proving that Johnny tried murdering his father. Worse? It was premeditated. She brings up the victim representing the accused, and says that’s because EJ will do anything to protect the DiMera name. That’s all. “He is a DiMera through and through.” Don’t believe the rosy father/son picture he paints.

EJ grows more agitated as she goes on, then chuckles it off when he gets up to give his own opening statement. Belle gave quite the speech — also deceiving and misleading. He loves his son and he KNOWS Johnny is innocent. And the DA doesn’t have evidence. It’s circumstantial. There are plenty of people in Salem who would like him dead.

And the DA’s office has always had it out for the DiMeras. Don’t punish Johnny for the sins of his father.

Chad and Jada Begin Testifying

First up is Chad, who recounts what happened when he found his brother, and we flash back to the night. Belle asks him about Johnny’s strained relationship with EJ — then Belle gets Chad to admit that he tried telling Johnny to visit his dad and the response was, “That he didn’t care whether his father lived or died.”

EJ cross examines and has Chad recall how the French doors were open to the outside. No sign of the shooter. No sign of Johnny.

Next, Jada testifies that Johnny’s grandfather, Roman, brought in the gun used to shoot EJ. He, though, asks if there were fingerprints or if the gun was found in Johnny’s possession. No to both. She brings up Johnny’s motive, gets shut down, and EJ asks Jada if she had a motive to want him dead.

Yes, she admits. And yes she told someone that she wished him dead. EJ thanks her and sits down, whispering something into Johnny’s ear.

Will Roman Help or Hurt Johnny?

Then Roman gets up to testify about the gun, flashing back to Johnny learning about it, and Roman realizing shortly after that it was missing. And that Johnny had a number of reasons for being angry with his father. And he heard Johnny say he wanted to hurt his dad. He went to follow Johnny, only to find his gun in a planter at the DiMera mansion.

He grabbed it to protect his grandson and put the gun back. He admits to finding a bullet missing and wiping it down before putting it away. Why, Belle prompts. “Because I thought my grandson might be the shooter.”

Johnny’s face falls at the statement.

Chad and Stephanie Catch Up

Chad leaves the courthouse and sees Stephanie in the square. She asks how he’s doing, and he hates having had to testify against Johnny. He turns to Stephanie’s new job with the hospital and warns her that despite loving EJ, people who tie themselves to him don’t end well.

She appreciates his concern, but Steph can handle herself. Chad asks how things are going with Alex, and Stephanie says it’s good. He can tell she’s happy. And when that happens, stuff from the past can’t hurt you.

In the Show’s Final Moments

Stephanie goes home and tells Jada she wins. She’ll face this head on. She pulls the box out of the trash and… it’s a tote bag. She forgot she ordered it. “Why were you so suspicious of that guy?” Jada asks. A lot of her novel scenarios were based loosely on real-life events she’d rather keep in the past. So he’s been on her mind a lot.

EJ has Roman admit he never saw Johnny take the gun. And that words are not actions. He then asks about how Roman feels about EJ marrying his daughter, Sami. “More than once,” Roman notes. And he didn’t like that at all. Has he ever wanted EJ dead? “I didn’t shoot you EJ, if that’s what you’re implying.”

EJ starts laying into Roman, then, pointing out he had the means, the opportunity and the motive to shoot him. It was his gun that shot him. “Maybe you were the one who pulled the trigger.” An exasperated Belle yells her objection and EJ withdraws the statement, smugly sitting back down.