Kristina thought she was being clever. Or desperate. Possibly both. She slipped Jacinda a bag of cash and told her to leave town, no questions, no testimony, no further damage to Michael’s already wobbling alibi. It was meant to make the problem disappear. Instead, it may have dragged it straight into the courtroom with a receipt attached. What looked like loyalty could end up reading as obstruction, and that distinction matters when Drew is watching every move.
Key Takeaways
- Kristina’s attempt to protect Michael may have backfired badly.
- Jacinda carrying the cash into the courthouse changes everything.
- Drew may not need proof — just doubt that won’t go away.
Kristina’s Fix Creates a Bigger Problem
It’s important to note that Kristina (Kate Mansi) didn’t involve Michael (Rory Gibson) in her scheme. She acted alone, driven by something she found in one of Alexis’ (Nancy Lee Grahn) files and a sudden urge to control the narrative before it finished collapsing. She told Jacinda (Paige Herschell) to run, but Jacinda didn’t heed her words. She carried the money with her and headed to the courthouse, where she tried to warn Michael to grab the kids and get out while he could.
That choice matters more than the bribe itself. Once Jacinda walked into that building with the bag, the situation stopped being private. A bailiff intercepted her and escorted her inside. No time to ditch the cash. No chance to rethink the optics. Just a clean line from Kristina’s panic to a potential evidence bag.
If Jacinda perjures herself, protocol kicks in. She’ll get interrogated, arrested, and searched. And if that money is discovered, no one is going to assume it came from Kristina’s well-meaning sisterly concern. The easier story is the uglier one. Michael paid off his alibi. Drew (Cameron Mathison) doesn’t need proof beyond that suggestion; he just needs a reasonable doubt that sticks.
Drew Doesn’t Have to Do Much Now
Alexis has already cracked the door. Ezra’s (Daniel Cosgrove) testimony shredded Michael’s timeline and exposed how little of his alibi was ever locked down. Jacinda is the weak link, and everyone knows it, especially Drew. He’s watching the case tilt without lifting a finger.
Kristina handing over that money does Drew’s work for him. It reframes Jacinda from unreliable witness to compromised participant. Even if Jacinda tells the truth, the presence of cash muddies every word that comes after. Juries don’t parse intentions; they react to images, and a bag of money says plenty.
The cruel part is that Kristina was trying to help. She wasn’t playing games, just trying to protect her brother from a system that already assumes the worst of him. But timing and optics rule courtrooms, and Kristina misjudged both.
Now, Drew gets to sit back and let the fallout speak. He doesn’t have to prove Michael did anything. He just has to let the question linger. And thanks to Kristina, it probably will.
