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 When
Cruz Castillo first hears his name, Travis Bucknell is a broken man at
the end of his rope, threatening to throw himself from a ledge on the façade
of the Capwell Hotel. Devastated after being left by his girlfriend,
Nikki Alvarez, Travis appears to have lost all hope. Cruz quickly tracks
Nikki down and brings her to Travis in an attempt to talk him down.
Instead, Travis pulls Nikki toward him, nearly dragging her over the
edge with him. In the end, however, he climbs back through the hotel
room window, leaving Nikki behind.
Just
when he seems to have been forgotten, Travis reappears a few episodes
later. He is revealed to be the manager of Anthony Tonell's stables, now
owned by Robert Barr. Kelly Capwell, captivated by the racehorse Dark
Victor, has recently taken a job there under a false name. She begins to
suspect illegal activities, suspicions that are confirmed with the help
of the trainer, Henry Riley : Travis has been drugging the horses to fix
races. Cruz arrests Travis, but at the police station he manages to take
Nikki hostage and escape. He returns to the stables and attempts to
steal Dark Victor. Caught by Kelly, he knocks her unconscious and flees. Realizing
that Nikki has remained in contact with Travis, Cruz follows her to
Acapulco. There, he discovers that Nikki owns a ranch where she trades
horses. She reveals that she is actually an undercover Mexican police
officer who has been investigating Travis for months. Back
in Santa Barbara, Nikki is fitted with a wire and sent by Cruz to meet
Travis at the stables in hopes of recording a confession. But being
still clearly infatuated with him, Nikki warns Travis that they are
being monitored and prevents him from saying anything that could
incriminate him. Travis continues with his plan to steal a horse and
heads into the mountains with Nikki to deliver the animal to its new
owner. Cruz pursues them. At the motel where they take refuge, Nikki has
no choice but to strike Travis, allowing Cruz to arrest him. Travis
eventually escapes from prison and finds Nikki in the hospital room
where she is recovering after being shot by Craig Hunt. When Cruz
arrives, Travis quietly slips away. Surprisingly, Nikki says nothing to
Cruz and lets Travis disappear. He is never heard from again.
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