Y&R BOMBSHELL: Sharon & Nick Make Stunning Discovery — and a NEW KILLER SUSPECT Emerges!

In the center of the maze, Victor rejoins a pacing Nikki. He tells her he tried to follow Carter until he was rudely interrupted by the Abbotts. Nikki asks about the idea Victor had.

Victor admits he’s very worried about what’s happened to Nick and Sharon. Nikki complains this is like some life-size board game. They agree that Carter seems very odd and almost programmed. Victor wouldn’t be surprised if he’s involved with Ashby’s machinations. Nikki says they can’t trust anyone but family.

Kyle appears and tells Victor his little game with Audra is up. He’s figured out what she’s up to and waited for her to make her move. He informs Victor he loves Claire and his plan to use Audra to compromise him and ruin his relationship didn’t work. “I would never hurt Claire.” Victor has something to tell him if he’s done with his spiel.

Victor says a killer is walking amongst them… he doesn’t give a damn about Kyle’s ill-fated romance with his granddaughter right now. Kyle complains that he financed Vibrante in return for Audra seducing him away from Claire. That’s a new low even for him! He’s bent over backward to prove how much he loves Claire, but he’s done. They’ll have a future despite his efforts to drive them apart. They’ll move in together as soon as they get home, “And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.” Victor growls, “Watch me.”

Victor tells Nikki he’ll be back and makes his way into the maze. Kyle hopes Nikki wasn’t involved in this scheme with Audra, which would devastate Claire. Nikki would never be involved with something so despicable. If it’s true, she had no knowledge of it. Kyle argues that Audra wouldn’t do this unless something was in it for her… it doesn’t take much to put together the pieces.

Victor runs into Chance in the maze and tells him Cane has put Nick and Sharon under house arrest. Chance confirms that’s not legal. Victor says they have to get them out. He asks Chance to tell Cane that he’ll get him… no one does this to him or his family. Chance says Carter, Cane’s assistance, claims he was in bed in his quarters during the murder and a guard came and got him up. The guard told the opposite story. It doesn’t add up. Victor thinks Carter is lying to cover up for Cane. “Why doesn’t that surprise me?”

Did Amanda Erase the Footage?

In his office, Cane watches the footage of him and Damian sitting on the bench. Amanda walks in and warns him against deleting evidence. He wanted to ask her the same thing… did she touch the footage? He suggests maybe she was trying to protect her boss… or someone else.

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Amanda fumes that she wouldn’t tamper with evidence, for him or anyone else. It’s illegal. If she’d deleted the evidence to help him, that would make her an accomplice to her crime. Who else would she be protecting? Phyllis?! Amanda fumes that she would be the last person on that tape. Does he really think that any of these people would risk what they have to rid the world of him? Cane asks, “What do I have to do to convince you? Die?!” Amanda asks i he deleted the footage because he stabbed Damian in the back. Cane rails about her thinking this of him. “For the last time, I did not murder Damian!”

They go over the glitch in the footage. Whoever erased it did so to cover up their guilt. If it was Nick, as Cane suggests, he’d have had to know about his surveillance room, find it, and delete the footage. Cane sighs that maybe he’s wrong and Nick Newman isn’t the killer. Amanda urges him to release Nick and Sharon… she was against this from the beginning and complains about him telling people she advised the measures. Locking them up was very wrong and he needs to release them before it blows up in his face. Cane understands her concern. Amanda will tell security to release them. Cane needs more time. “I need to speak to Chance again.” He may be able to make this all work out in his favor.

What Do Sharon and Nick Discover?

In the locked room, Sharon apologizes for panicking; she hates for Nick to see her like that. He tries to get her laughing about one of his old haircuts. She agrees, “We have been through a lot.” He tells her being there for each other is the most natural thing in the world. Sharon respectfully disagrees; she hasn’t had a bad hair day in her life. Turning serious, she tells him the panic was embarrassing for her. Nick thinks it’s natural considering what she’s been through. Neither of them deserves this. Sharon is sure this is part of some grander scheme on Cane’s part. They need to find a way out of there to stop it.

Nick kicks the door a few times and then checks in with Sharon, who is feeling better. She says they need to find something to pick the lock. Nick digs into a chest, and they find books and wine. Sharon opens an old photo album with people from the 1900s. The name on the back is Deleone and Nick wonders if this is the old Chanti Deleone winery. Sharon wonders if Cane bought it from then. Perhaps the maze is sitting on the old vineyard.

Nick wonders why Cane would bulldoze a vineyard and go over the hefty expense of everything they’ve seen there. Nick thinks there has to be something nefarious to Cane making his fortune. He’s been away from Lily’s positive influence and under Colin’s… God only knows what that’s turned him into.

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Nick is increasingly suspicious about Cane and what he’s up to. Out of nowhere, the guy is worth billions. If they can figure out how he did it, maybe they can stop what he has planned. Sharon pulls out a really old bottle of champagne. Nick muses, “Champagne… I’ve got an idea.” Sharon hopes it doesn’t involve drinking to pass the time. Nick chuckles and says he has a better idea. He opens the bottle, removing the wire that holds the cork in the bottle to use to pick the lock. Sharon says she and Phyllis picked the lock in the clinic, but it was booby-trapped. He holds up the wire, “Here’s your chance again.” Sharon gets to work.

New: Nick and Sharon shocker!

Who’s Lurking In the Hedges?

Audra finds Lily by the fountain in the maze and asks how she’s doing after all she’s been through. Lily’s still in shock about Damian. Audra agrees that it’s shocking and tragic. She’s worried for Nate and Amy. Lily doesn’t even know how they’ll tell them. Audra wishes Nate had come with her… so many things would have played out differently. They hear a noise and call out, “Who’s there?!” Ducking behind a statue, they wait to see who’s lurking, whilst calling for them to show their face.

Phyllis emerges from behind a hedge and tells Lily and Audra she was just listening in. Lily warns they could have come after her and hurt her. Phyllis smirks and tells them to take a deep breath. She claims eavesdropping is the only way to save their lives at this point and give them a clue to the true identity of the killer. Audra complains about Phyllis eavesdropping for her boss, and Lily gripes about her not believing that Cane killed Damian. Phyllis knows he didn’t do it, and Nick’s as innocent as Cane. Lily points out there isn’t any other suspects. Who, out of them, could possibly be a murderer?

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Phyllis doesn’t know who killed Damian… but they have family and friends who have killed someone before. Lily argues that this is pre-meditated and none of them are capable of that. Phyllis says it’s for Chance to figure out. She suggests that Audra might have killed Damian to keep him quiet about her closeness with Kyle on the trip. Lily defends Audra. Phyllis is just making a point that if you try hard enough you can find a motive for anyone. Her theory about Audra is no more absurd than pointing the finger at Cane or Nick. Lily thinks anything is possible where Cane is concerned. She doubts he even sent anyone down the mountain. Cane having his own investigator is strategic… he can manipulate the evidence!

More: The real killer no one would ever suspect

Phyllis asks why Cane would do this. Lily says he’d have known Chance would be there with no back up or real power. Phyllis points out he didn’t yet know that Damian was a romantic threat. Lily rants about everyone defending Cane, who has been lying to them for years. Phyllis warns she’s letting her emotions cloud her intelligence and better judgement.

Lily tells Phyllis that she’s using this situation to her further her career. Audra says they all know that’s the only reason she’s there. Phyllis is offended; they’re accusing her of acting indifferent toward a man’s death. She points out that Audra doesn’t seem the least bit rattled that there’s a murderer amongst them. Audra warns her to back off. Phyllis is sure Lily is devastated over Damian’s death and needs someone to blame. Of course she’d want to point the finger at Cane. Lily insists she has no idea what she’s talking about.

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Phyllis asks Lily to really think about this objectively. “There’s no way Cane is capable of this kind of violence.” Audra doesn’t like Phyllis, but her logic makes sense. Phyllis asks Lily how she can be suspicious of the father of her children. Lily says the facts lead to one possibility. Phyllis had to ask herself the same thing about Nick. “Could the father of your twins have done something like this?”

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A New Suspect?

In the maze, Chance and Victor go over the discrepancies in Carter’s story. Maybe he’s the one who’s behind all this. Victor muses, “Maybe he’s willing to kill for his boss.” Nikki told him earlier that the assistant was robotic… maybe he’s programmed to kill for Cane so he keeps his hands clean.

More: Is Carter the killer?

How Can Cane Manipulate the Situation?

In the office, Amanda asks Cane what he means by making this work out in his favor. Cane says Victor and Nikki think he’s holding Nick as leverage to help him get Chancellor. He wasn’t, but if he can parlay holding Victor’s son hostage into getting what he wants, that might be worth a try.

New: Case cracked! We know who wants Cane dead

Next on The Young and the Restless: Victor and Chance confront a new suspect, Nick’s plan to escape backfires, and Jack makes a tough decision about Billy.