From: Robert Willers <willers@trombone.sps.mot.com>

THE CITY Update for Friday, July 12:

STORYLINE: GET MORE SLEEP
 (location: A doctor's office)
* Jacob is waiting for Angie at the doctor's office.  She arrives and
 asks what he's doing there.  He calls it moral support; she calls it
 invasion of privacy.  He says he didn't think she'd mind.  She says
 she minds _a lot_.
* He asks why she is so upset.  She says she is nervous about this
 appointment: she knows that when she has to give bad news to a patient,
 she puts the most positive spin possible on the news.  She wants the
 doctor to be open with her, not to sugar-coat this.  She says she is
 going in there as Dr. Angela Hubbard, consulting a specialist in sleep
 disorders for a patient of hers.  [Odd that she wants honesty from the
 doctor when she is lying to him from the get-go!]  She says she doesn't
 like lying, and that's why she doesn't want him there.
Dr. Bennett comes out and invites them in, but Jacob excuses himself.
 Angie and Bennett go into his office.  Jacob stands outside, shaking
 his head.
* Angie says a patient of hers is having a problem.  Oh, I thought it
 was you having the problem, says Bennett.  No, Jacob was confused; do
 you mind consulting with me?  Not at all.  Angie tells the story: the
 patient had a problem with sleepwalking as a child, but it cleared up.
 Now, it has resurfaced and it is causing her some problems and she is
 now afraid to go to sleep because she doesn't know what might happen.
 She was wondering -- as I was -- if a relatively normal person could
 do something violent in her sleep.  He wonders why she didn't send the
 patient directly to him.  She says she didn't want to alarm her.  Well,
 says Bennett, no two cases are exactly alike.  Sleepwalkers tend to be
 perfectionists (demanding too much of themselves) and they tend to have
 problems expressing feelings directly, especially anger.  That anger,
 or any strong emotion, may surface while sleepwalking, when the defense
 mechanisms are down.  Therefore, yes, a so-called normal person may
 become violent.  He even testified in a case recently where a woman
 actually murdered somebody while sleepwalking...but I suggest that you
 don't share that with your patient.  Angie, with her mortified face,
 says of course not.  He notices that she is squirming, but she says she
 takes her work too seriously.  Oh, like one of those perfectionists he
 was talking about.  Yes, I very well might.  As for her patient, says
 Bennett, she has to get some sleep -- anxiety and oversleeplessness are
 the major cause of it.  Angie says sleeping pills don't help.  No, they
 tend to make things worse, but they have had some good results with
 muscle relaxants.  He writes the name of one down for her.  She gets up
 and thanks him.  He says that if her condition continues--  Angie says
 she will send her directly to him.  He says he would hate to be called
 to testify in another sleepwalking murder case.  Angie says she's sure
 this situation is not that serious.
* She goes into the outer office and tells Jacob that she now knows what
 kind of medication she should be on.  So, did he say there was anything
 to worry about?  Well, she's going to try the medication.  She asks if
 she can talk him into a hamburger.  Sure, says Jacob, but I still think
 you should have told him--  Honey, stop worrying!  A lot easier said
 than done.  She tells him that everything is going to be fine, and she
 kisses him.  They hug, but when Angie's face is out of his sight, she
 gets that worried look again.

STORYLINE: KISSIN' COUSINS II
 (location: Tony's apartment/agency)
* Ally is thumbing through the photos as Tony puts the finishing touches
 on the sauce.  She asks him if he is going to show them to Uncle Gino;
 he says no, he wants to keep this a friendly meeting.  She says she'd
 love to know who the mystery lady is.  Why?  First, I want to find out
 where she shops for shoes, says Ally.  Tony tells her that she's not a
 high-heeled type.  What type *am* I?  My type?  They kiss.  Ally asks
 if Gino is going to show up with his machine gun in a violin case, and
 should she kiss his ring.  Tony tells her to leave the kisses to him.
The doorbell rings.  Uncle Gino -- and Carla -- arrive.  Tony tells her
 that he didn't see her name on the guest list.  She says she thought
 she would always be welcome at his home.  Gino tells Carla to stop; she
 agrees, but she says she thought this was a family lunch, and she *is*
 family.
* Tony introduces Gino to Ally.  She shakes his hand, he says it is his
 pleasure to meet her.  And this is my cousin, Carla, says Tony, rather
 snobbishly.  They shake hands and say hi.  Tony offers them something
 to drink.  Gino wants red wine, but Carla insists on club soda for him.
 Make it two, cuz, says Carla.  Tony and Ally leave to make the drinks.
 In the kitchen, Tony apologizes to Ally, saying he would never have
 asked her to stay if he knew Carla was coming.  Ally says she doesn't
 dislike her; she doesn't even know her.  Tony says, "She's like a wart,
 she grows on you."  The worst part is that now, Gino won't answer any
 questions.  Carla loves to make Tony's life miserable.  "Aw, come on.
 I don't think she's that bad."  "Oh no?  Get ready for the lunch from
 hell."  Tony runs their drinks out to them, while Ally stands in the
 kitchen with an astonished look on her face.
* Gino compliments Ally on the lunch.  Ally says all she did was serve
 it; Tony cooked it.  Gino says that they don't see eye-to-eye, but
 when it comes to clam sauce, they have a meeting of the minds.  Tony
 says it's a start.  Carla says Ally must be the lady Connie told her
 about: the two of them so much in love even though she was pregnant
 with another man's child.  "Carla!  That was Stephanie."  "Oh, Ally.
 I am so sorry."  "That's OK, she's one of my best friends."  Carla
 asks if she knows about the girl before Stephanie, Pamela, but Ally
 interrupts and offers Gino more (healthy) salad.  Ally pulls the salad
 bowl into the bread bowl, which falls off the table.  While Carls is
 busy insulting Ally ("Graceful *as well* as pretty."), she gets a look
 at Carla's shoes: they're the same ones as in the picture.  Tony offers
 Gino a cigar, but Gino says "Nurse Ratchet" won't allow it.  He says he
 has to make a phone call, and Ally says there is a phone upstairs where
 he can have some privacy.  "Nice girl," says Gino.  "I know she is."
 Ally starts coughing.  She says it's her "allergies" and she goes to
 the kitchen, ostensibly to take a pill.
Tony and Carla start sniping at each other.  "When my father comes down,
 we're leaving."  "You know, I really hate the way you boss my uncle
 around."  "And I hate the way you try and make him think you give a
 damn about him."  She tells him to "be a man" and admit that he wants
 something from Gino.  Tony says, all right, a friend of mine is being
 tried for a murder he didn't commit.  "Not my problem."  He tells her
 that it's a shame, because once upon a time, she was a pretty cute kid.
 Carla says neither of them has changed, they still have this love-hate
 thing going.  Tony says she has it half-right.
Ally coughs some more and asks Tony to come see her for a minute.  He
 goes into the kitchen and asks if she is still in love with Carla.  He
 says she'll never have to see Carla again.  Forget about that, says
 Ally, I know why Carla's here.
* Tony says he knows why she's here, too -- to "bust his chops."  Ally
 pulls out the photo of the legs, but Tony doesn't get the connection.
 It is a very rare clasp, says Ally, and Carla is wearing the same shoe
 with the same clasp.  Ally says that for once, she is glad that she's
 clumsy.  "I'm sorry, but your favorite cousin, she was at Jared Chase's
 funeral."

STORYLINE: COINCIDENCE?
 (starting location: Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment)
* Jocelyn and Alex enter.  Jocelyn notes that they have the place to
 themselves, and Alex asks if she is uncomfortable with that.  She says
 she can cope.  He knows she doesn't like having to work with him on
 this, but--  Jocelyn interrupts him, asking him to forget about her
 "delicate sensibilities" and saying she's glad he is working on the
 case.  She suggests that they start with Sydney: she knows a lot more
 about Jared's death than she is letting on.
* Alex says that they both know that when Sydney tells the whole story,
 she isn't telling the whole story.  She had better, says Jocelyn, when
 Danny's life is involved.  Alex says Sydney has an alibi and Danny
 doesn't.  Jocelyn is opening some mail while they talk, and one piece
 of mail is her father's death certificate.  Alex takes it.  "I guess
 this makes it official."  Alex notes that Lou and Jared died at almost
 the exact same time.
* She asks if he is sure.  He thinks so, but he can check his notes.
 She gets up and gets the copy of Jared's death certificate.  "Yeah, he
 died at almost exactly the same time."  Alex asks her to remind him if
 she said she talked to Danny that night.  Yes, at about 8:30.  That's
 about 1/2 hour before your dad died, says Alex.  Jocelyn says the
 meeting got intense: it was a shouting match about their dad.  He asks
 if she thinks Danny went to their dad's house.  She *knows* he didn't.
 How do you know that?  Because he promised her that he wouldn't, and
 when they found out that he died, it was ironic that if he were there,
 he could have saved Lou's life.  "Yeah, that would have been ironic."
 Alex wants to wrap this up for now.  "What?!  We just got started."
 Alex says he has some errands to run, and they can continue tomorrow.
 Jocelyn reluctantly agrees.  See you later.  Exactly.  Jocelyn goes
 into another room, while Alex stares at the death certificates.
* [At the jail.]
Alex is talking through the halls, but a guard stops him.  He says this
 is approved and waves a paper.  The guard says he still has to check
 it out.  Alex says he *has* to see Danny Roberts *now*.

STORYLINE: SECOND VICTIM
 (starting location: Penthouse)
* The phone rings; Sydney answers it.  "Syd?  Mike."  "It's 'Mrs. Chase'
 to you."  He is sitting in a hotel bathtub (calling her on his cellular
 phone instead of the room phone right behind his head), sipping a glass
 of champagne and smoking a cigar.  He informs her that Danny was denied
 bail.  She asks where she should leave his next payment.  He says he
 isn't thrilled with her tone -- he wants her to be nicer to him.  Or?
 Or I might have to have a chat with the D.A.  Sydney asks what he would
 tell him.  "'Well, you see, sir, I'm afraid I lied to you.  It wasn't
 Jared Chase putting pressure on Danny Roberts.  It was Mr. Chase's
 lovely wife.'"  Sydney asks, "And what was she pressuring him to do?"
 "'She wanted him to bump off the old man.'"  Then why did you lie?
 Well, says Mike, because I thought you were going to pay me off, Syd,
 but my conscience got the better of me.  Sydney calls him a sleazoid
 and says they had an agreement.  He hangs up on her.
* The phone rings again.  "Ready to play nice?"  She asks where to leave
 his next payment.  He's at the Palm Hotel.  Know it?  Well.  I didn't,
 says Mike, until today, but I plan to be a frequent visitor, thanks to
 your continuing generosity.  "I'm in room 312."  She says she doesn't
 want to be seen around him -- what's plan B?  He wants to think about
 it and asks her to call back in 1/2 hour.  She can't believe he wants
 her to sit around and wait to pay him blackmail money.  "You'll do
 whatever I say.  That's why they call it blackmail, Syd!"  He hangs up
 again.  She slams her phone down.  He picks up the bathtub phone and
 calls room service for another bottle of champagne: "the best you've
 got."
* Sydney makes a phone call.  "Jackson?  Syd."  She asks how long it
 would take him to get there from Pine Valley -- there's something she
 needs him to do for her.  "Well, there have been some very strange
 things happening here."
[At the Palm Hotel.]
Mike is sitting in the bathtub, music blaring from a nearby boom box.
 The bathroom door opens and we go into the bathroom with a hand-held
 camera.  Mike takes a nice long puff on his cigar.
* [At the Penthouse.]
Sydney makes another phone call.  "Hello.  Room 312, please."  Mike
 answers the phone.  He likes that she's right on time.  "Would I keep
 a gentleman like you waiting?"  "I could live without the sarcasm."
 A gloved hand picks up the boom box and, while it is still plugged-in
 and blaring, tosses it into the bathtub.  On the other end of the line,
 Sydney hears him scream.  "Mike?  Mike?"

-----
|  "...You're shaped like a croissant is..."           |  Bob Willers  |
|  --Hugo (a gargoyle, voice talent: Jason Alexander)  |  Phoenix, AZ  |
|    to Quasimodo, THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME         | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+


