It's the day after New Year's Day, and the town is still in shock over the near-massacre at WBRE. The would-be sniper Drennen Talbot is locked up at Breckenridge Hospital for observation. His estranged wife Valerie is sitting in the kitchen of her daughter-in-law Tess Harper's house. With her are Tess, Dorothy, and Loretta, who has closed down the diner.

Valerie: I'm going to see Drennen later today. I want to know why he came to the station with a gun.

Tess: I'm curious as to how he got that gun in the first place.

Loretta: You know Cal sells guns to anybody. He's so desperate for business he'd sell one to a dog.

Dorothy: Valerie, has Drennen ever shown signs of violence before?

Valerie: Well, he did try to physically stop me from seeing Ingrid & Marcus not too long after we got here...but I got physical with him back and slapped him. I don't get angry easily, but I just couldn't handle his attitude towards Paul.

Tess (jumping up): Valerie, his attitude towards Paul may be the reason he came to the station.

Valerie (horrified): Tess, what are you trying to say? That Drennen came to kill my son---your husband?

Tess: I'd bet money on it. Remember, Drennen planned to make look like he assaulted him, and Paul told me how much Drennen hated him. If that's not a motive for murder, than I don't know what is.

Paul and Kane are at Kane's condo, also discussing the shooting.

Paul: I've been thinking Dad. What if Drennen was trying to kill us?

Kane: You mean that we were the targets all along? That he wasn't insane when he came to WBRE?

Paul: It wouldn't make sense for him to just show up and begin randomly shooting. Drennen is very intelligent and sane. I think he planned this after he confronted me and my sisters at the mall. He was furious when we told him to leave us alone.

Kane: And he loathes me as well. Paul, I don't like this. We could have been killed. Then he would have come after Val and the girls---my God. (He turns away to the window).

Paul: Uncle Marcus, Aunt Ingrid, Lance, and Roark would've made sure Drennen never got near them. They really care about them. You care about them too don't you Dad? Especially Mom. Zoe and Amaya told me you kissed her.

Kane (turning back around): Yes Paul I do. Valerie is the sweetest woman I've ever met next to Gretchen and she doesn't deserve this grief.

Paul: Besides me and Zoe and Amaya, you really make her happy. It would be nice to see you two back together again.

Back to Tess' house.

Valerie: You know I'm repsonsible for this.

Dorothy: Valerie, that's crazy!

Loretta: You are not to blame for Drennen's awful actions. Only he is. Instead of supporting you, he got resentful and that's his problem, not yours.

Tess: Mom and Dorothy are right.

Valerie: But I abandoned him.

Loretta: You said how Drennen controlled you all these years. The only thing you did was want to find Paul. That's something he couldn't control. And when he thought he could and realized the truth, he couldn't handle it. You had to get out. Blaming yourself puts him in a good light and you can't do that.

Valerie: I'm sorry, it's just been so unreal the past couple of days, like something out of the Twilight Zone. Imagine, my soon-to-be-ex-husband a sniper.

Dorothy: The sooner he's your ex-husband, the better.

Valerie: Still, I am going to see him. He needs to know that his attempt to murder my son was sick and vile and I don't want to be married to him a minute longer.

Click here for the conclusion of Episode 53