In 2003, Tad begins to emerge from his dark place when he enlists his investigator skills to help Brooke find out if Maria Santos Grey (Eva La Rue) is still alive. The woman known as Maureen Gorman does indeed turn out to be Maria, and now he must find out how she lost her memory and who could have saved her from the plane crash. When it is revealed that David Hayward is involved, Tad and most of Pine Valley go after him. David found Maria and gave her his experimental drugs to save her life, then sent her away and gave her a new name to protect himself. When David is freed from the criminal charges filed against him, Tad is furious. He really wants to see David behind bars for good. Tad decides to start up his private investigating business again after Adam fires him from his position at Chandler Enterprises. Liza, with her new venture with some of the young women of Pine Valley, Fusion, soon calls on Tad for help. Doing research for Fusion, he gets to know the girls there well, and finds himself slightly smitten with the marketing director, Simone Torres (Terri Ivens), whom Tad sums up as "one hot tamale". The begin a mutually exclusive "booty call" type relationship, all in fun and very hot.