1991: Opportunist Craig Lawson had to do very little accomplish his newest con. He arrived in Pine Valley claiming to be an old friend of the late Tad Martin. In truth, he was looking to befriend Dixie Cooney in hopes of accessing her lucrative trust fund. Wanting to reach out to any memory of Tad, Dixie opened her home to Craig. She even got him a job at Cortlandt Electronics.
Dixie’s brother, Will Cortlandt, was the only person who could compromise his deception. Will framed Craig as the culprit behind $20,000 that had went missing from company funds. In a surprising turn of events, Palmer fired Will and kept Craig. Craig succeeded in seducing Dixie, and they married.
Craig’s plan was compromised by the arrival of his former fiancé, Gloria Marsh. Gloria wanted Craig back. The only way he could assure her silence was to agree to an affair. Brooke English found them in a compromising situation. Craig convinced Brooke to give him time to tell Dixie about the affair. Realizing he could loose everything, Craig kept his silence.

1992: Will had uncovered the truth about Craig’s past. Will began to blackmail Craig. Craig was desperate to hold on to Dixie. When Will was found bludgeoned to death in his apartment, Craig was a prime suspect. Slowly, Dixie learned about Craig’s deception. Dixie divorced Craig and forced him out of town.