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

THE CITY Update for Friday, July 19:

STORYLINE: MAGIC FINGERS, MAGIC LIPS
 (location: health club)
* "OK, Sven, do your magic."  Only it's not Sven, it's Tony's hands
 which begin to work magic.  "Mmm, that feels great.  Go deeper.  Mmm,
 that's perfect.  You've always had magic fingers...Anthony."  She
 smiles; Tony pulls back.  Without looking up, Carla says, "Don't stop!"
* Tony tosses a towel down on her and tells her to get dressed.  No,
 this is my hour for massage and you obviously dismissed Sven, so you
 will have to get the kinks out yourself.  He says he'll let Sven in
 when they're done talking.  She says she will feel more like talking if
 he keeps his fingers busy.  Tony says he's just there to talk; Carla
 responds that her jaw is tense.  Tony reluctantly starts rubbing her
 back.  He says he is keeping an eye on her.  "Lucky me.  You used to
 do that quite a lot, remember?"  They were close until his sixteenth
 birthday, when he drove the two of them to Coney Island to celebrate.
 He complains that she was 13 and tried to kiss him big-time.  "I did
 more than try, I succeeded, but you couldn't handle it."  He says they
 are cousins.  Adopted cousins, points out Carla.  He tells her to save
 the trip down memory lane.  He accuses her of ordering the hit on he
 and Ally.  "You didn't think I'd let you get away with that, did you?"
 Carla gets a rather worried look on her face.
* Carla is standing up now, tying her towel.  She says she ought to
 smack him -- why accuse her?  Because all the pieces fit: Joey was
 working for Jared, and *somebody* put the two of them together, only
 Ally and me got a little too close, and--  Tony puts his finger up to
 her head as if he is shooting her.  She tells him to put his finger
 away.  "But you missed, and you nearly killed my brother."  She says
 he has watched too many gangster movies.  "I am a financial consultant
 with a Harvard M. B. A."  "What you are is somebody with a lot of
 ambitions and no scruples."  She says that's a big word, but she has
 some other words for him: evidence, proof, verification.  As proof,
 he pulls out the photo of her leaving Jared's memorial service.
* "That's me, all right.  Who took it?"  Tony tells her that Ally is
 a photographer.  "That is so sweet.  She's playing Nancy Drew to your
 Hardy Boy."  She says she'd *love* to pose for a picture for him -- how
 about right now?  She reaches for the towel, but he says, "Enough with
 the games."  He says he knows that her connection to Jared had nothing
 to do with a master's thesis.  She says the photo only proves that she
 wanted to pay Jared his last respects.  He asks why she is hiding her
 face.  Because she is a very private person.  Or maybe because she's
 the one who killed Jared.  He says he knows she put the hit out on he
 and Ally.  She says she wouldn't do that: "You and I are close.  Very
 close.  I would never do anything to hurt you, and you know you would
 never do anything to hurt me."  She loosens her towel, which falls to
 the ground.  She kisses him.

STORYLINE: PACK AWAY THAT ALTO SAX
 (starting location: Ally/Jocelyn/Molly's apartment)
* Molly is still ranting about Charlie Parker's escape.  She asks Ally
 if she left the door to the cage open or if she has had anyone over.
 Ally says that Charlie must be flying around in one of their bedrooms
 and asks if she is house-trained.  Ally continues to get ready to go
 to the party, and Molly is mad -- she isn't going anywhere with her
 bird missing.  Ally says they could just put some bird seed on the
 table and--  Molly thanks her for her understanding and stomps off.
 Ally says she's sorry.  Molly says to "just go."  Ally realizes that
 her tirade isn't just about Charlie; it's about Danny.  Molly asks why
 Tony and Alex can't just find the real killer.  Ally tells her that
 they might have a break -- Tony is talking to someone right now who
 might be able to help them.
* [At Angie/Jacob/Tess' apartment.]
Tess straightens the pillows on the couch.  She flashes back to the
 night when Angie cut up the pillow.  There is a knock on the door; it
 is Zoey and Azure with "enough food to feed a SWAT team."  Tess says
 she hopes they don't have to call them in.  The chit-chat starts early,
 with Zoey talking about catfighting and Tess telling her to get a life.
 Ally, Jocelyn and a somber Molly enter, apologizing for being late.
 Tess tosses Ally a bag of carrots and tells her that she can peel them
 to make up for being late.  Tess says that when they were late, she was
 thinking there might be another incident in the building -- you never
 know what's going to happen next.  Azure says she's already had hers;
 what could be worse than having your sex change on the front page of
 the papers.  "Being outed on a Barbara Walters special," offers Zoey,
 and everyone laughs.  Tess asks Ally if she is missing an appendage:
 this is the first time in weeks she has seen her without Tony.  Tess
 offers to peel the carrots for her; she must be exhausted from all that
 "togetherness."  Ally goes to Jocelyn and asks why she is being given
 a hard time about this.  They work together...and Jocelyn finishes the
 sentence, saying that they are now seeing each other.  You knew?  No.
 Ally says she wanted to tell her, but with the other stuff going on,
 she was waiting.  Jocelyn tells her that she thinks it's great, and
 that the two of them are great together.  Yes, says Ally, it's too good
 to be true.
* The party has begun.  Zoey says she will never forget hearing Angie
 scream, and screams at the top of her lungs to demonstrate.  She asks
 for more wine, and Tess, pouring it, invites her to keep drinking and
 pass out soon!  Everyone laughs.  The inevitable subject of all the
 things which have happened in the building comes up.  Ally says maybe
 it is jinxed.  "Or haunted," says Zoey, who suggests that they hire an
 exorcist.  Ally asks if anyone thinks the murderer could be one of
 them.  The laughing stops, and Tess finally comments that she doesn't,
 but she didn't think Jared was Jack the Ripper, either.  Azure suggests
 that maybe they could move.  That has a nice ring to it, says Molly.
 Nobody else wants to leave, though.  Ally says she'd rather carry a can
 of mace than a baseball bat.  Azure says she just meant that maybe they
 need a change.  Molly stands up and says, "You know, that's your answer
 to everything, isn't it?  You just change.  Your home, your body..."
 After some dead silence, Molly says she didn't mean that the way it
 came out, but she does think they were born a certain way for a reason.
 Azure says she isn't masquerading [!!] as a woman, that's just who she
 is.  Molly thinks she had better leave, but Zoey stops her, asking her
 what is so wrong about Azure being so different -- we're all different.
 Tess says that if they were all the same, they'd be the Stepford Wives.
 The Stepford Girlfriends, points out Ally.  Zoey offers a toast: to
 being girlfriends, and to being different.  Everyone toasts, except
 for Molly and Azure.
* Ally tells Jocelyn she can't believe that Molly and Azure won't even
 look at each other.  Jocelyn says that the stuff with Danny is just
 spilling over for Molly.
Molly tells Zoey that she's going to leave -- Charlie is still missing.
 Zoey says Charlie will come back when she wants some seeds.  This is
 so awkward, says Molly, and what she said to Azure was awful.  And you
 want to rewind and erase the tape, says Zoey.  That's right.  But you
 aren't going anywhere, says Zoey.  It may take some time for she and
 Azure to be comfortable with each other, but you have to do something.
 Spend more time together, scarf down some low-fat yogurt or a pizza
 together, or--  Zoey realizes she's hungry and leaves.
Tess asks Azure if she's OK.  Sure, she's heard it all before.  She knew
 Molly was uncomfortable around her, and she kind of admires her for her
 honesty.  Tess says that honesty is overrated.  Well, Azure says she
 wishes she had been honest with Bernardo from the beginning.  Tess says
 maybe he'll feel different when he gets back.  He's away?  Yeah, he and
 his sister took off for Puerto Rico for a week.
Angie enters with a gift.  "You shouldn't have."  No, says Angie, this
 was outside the door, addressed to Molly.  She wonders why it was sent
 there instead of to their place.  She opens it.  It is Charlie, dead.

STORYLINE: BLOODY HELL
 (starting location: Penthouse)
* Alex asks Sydney where her bodyguard is.  She gave him the night off.
 Alex gets angry about that, but Sydney says she feels like a prisoner.
 Besides, she changed the locks and she's not going anywhere tonight.
 Alex doesn't like it, but it's her call.  He tells her that the report
 came back on the blood on the robe: type A-B negative, which only 0.6%
 of the population has.  Coincidentally, he tells her, a vial of the
 same type disappeared from Angie's clinic several days ago.
* [At the City Bar.]
Angie comes into the bar and asks Jacob if he can take a break.  They
 sit at a table.  She tells him about the blood on Sydney's robe, and
 asks, "What if I did it?"
[At the Penthouse.]
Sydney asks if they can prove that it is the same blood.  Not really,
 says Alex, it would be very expensive.  Sydney points out that Angie
 doesn't seem like the careless type.  Alex asks what she's getting at.
 Maybe she *did* kill Jared.  Sydney points out a number of scenarios
 and Alex refutes them.  "Maybe she really did kill Jared and now she's
 trying to scare the daylights out of me."  "No."  Alex points out that,
 awake or asleep, she has no motive.  Sure she does, says Sydney, she's
 furious at me.  Alex asks why and Sydney clams up.  "Never mind.  Just
 forget that I said anything."  Alex says he can't help her if she won't
 tell him everything.  Sydney finally admits that she was raped and she
 refused to allow Angie to report it.  "You were raped?  By who?"  "By
 Jared."  Alex makes the connection -- now *Sydney* has a motive.
* [At the City Bar.]
Angie tells Jacob that she's scared.  There was no sign of a breakin.
 Jacob says that when he came home, she was wide awake.  Yes, but she
 had taken a nap earlier.  Jacob says that not being able to report the
 rape shouldn't be enough for her to be that angry at Sydney.  Angie
 says she doesn't know.  Jacob says he does.  Even if, deep down, she
 wants to kick Sydney's butt, she is, first and foremost, a doctor.
 Angie asks if he is just saying that to calm her down.  No, says Jacob,
 and he thanks her for letting him in on this one.  He tells her not to
 be scared.  She says she can't help it; besides, the pills the doctor
 prescribed for her don't seem to be working.  Jacob says they should
 go back to the doctor and level with him.  Angie says that maybe he is
 right.  He says he knows he's right.  He says he'll leave work early
 and they'll talk later.  He says he is there for her.
[At the Penthouse.]
Sydney says that no man can know how it feels to be raped.  It is a very
 private thing.  She wanted to report the rape, but she couldn't take it
 public, for the sake of the corporation.  She realizes she can't go to
 the police now, because it will make her look like she has a motive.
 Alex asks if she has thought any more about the "happy now" note.  She
 says she has no idea.  Whoever it is, says Alex, they know her and want
 to scare her.  "Why?  Who?"  As if to answer that question, the phone
 rings.  Sydney answers it.  "What about Loren?  Well, what kind of
 security system do you people have in that place?  No, I am sending
 someone of my own over right now."  She hangs up, telling Alex that
 Loren has been kidnapped.  Who is Loren?  Samuel's daughter, she's been
 in a coma for years.  She gives him a photo and the address of the
 hospital.  Sydney says that maybe it *is* personal -- maybe this is the
 killer's way of getting to her.  Maybe, says Alex.  Meantime, lock all
 the windows and doors and stay put.  He leaves.  She locks the door
 behind him.
* Sydney is on the phone, leaving a message: "Please call me when you
 get in.  I just want to know that you're all right.  Better yet, just
 come over here..."  There is a knock on the door.  Sydney hangs up.
 She goes downstairs and asks who it is.  The door opens.  It is Loren,
 entering with a key.  "Hello, Sydney."

-----
|  "Would somebody please explain to the White House   |  Bob Willers  |
|  that there's a difference between DRUG TESTING and  |  Phoenix, AZ  |
| TESTING DRUGS?" -- David Letterman, Late Show 07/18  | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+


