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

LOVING Speedy-Update for Friday, July 21:

I'm back from ten days in Switzerland.  What an amazing trip!
Many thanks to Jennifer for doing the "big day" update (last Friday).

STORYLINE: COWBOY P. I.
 (starting location: Rodeo Bar)
* Buck is frustrated -- he wants to find Curtis and "beat a confession
 out of him."  Jacob tells him not to do that, but that maybe he has
 confided in someone.  He reminds Buck that Curtis is "only playing with
 half a hockey puck."  Buck says the closest thing that Curtis had to a
 friend was Tess.  They go.
[At Tess' office.]
Danny enters Tess' office, puts his feet up on her desk, and asks
 when his first GQ cover will appear.  Tess pushes his feet off the
 desk angrily and says never.  Danny says she shouldn't act like that
 to the only person who stands between her and jail.
* She says she didn't kill Stacey, so she doesn't have anything to
 hide.  He asks why she needs an alibi, then.  She says that last
 night, she was doing something that "the police might misconstrue."
 After they threaten each other, she says that if he wants to play
 hardball, that's fine, but she will win.  She calls him a "naive
 punk" and he asks if she has any more questions.  Buck and Jacob
 enter.  "No, but we do."
* Tess asks if he is OK.  Jacob asks how she *thinks* he is.  He wants
 her to answer a few questions.  She is offended that he thinks she
 might have anything to do with this.  Danny steps up and offers that
 she has an alibi -- with him -- *really* with him.  Tess says that is
 enough and Danny leaves.  They say they weren't really there to ask
 about her -- they came to ask about Curtis.  She says he acted weird
 the last time they talked (about a campaign for the Rodeo) and she
 says it was basically an obsession with Stacey.  Buck's pager goes off
 and he says it is the alarm at the Rodeo.  He leaves.  Jacob says,
 "Let's take it from the top, and this time, I want the truth."
* Tess says she doesn't know what to tell him.  "Tell me the truth!"
 He doesn't buy that she spent that night with Danny.  She breaks down
 and says she'll tell him, if he promises to keep his mouth shut.  He
 tells her to talk.  She says she did consider killing Stacey, but she
 decided it would cost too much.  We see Danny standing outside the
 door, listening.

STORYLINE: INSANITY PLEA?
 (location: Gwyn's hotel room)
* Clay enters and tells Gwyn that she must have been in on Stephanie's
 prank.  What prank?  She had Nadine, her husband and three kids go in
 her place.  Gwyn realizes that Clay hasn't heard about the murder and
 tells him about it.  "Any suspects?"  A few.  Clay immediately thinks
 of Curtis...
* He asks if they have questioned Curtis.  Gwyn accuses him of thinking
 that Curtis did it.  He says that's not what he said.  He says he knows
 what he saw at Angie's wedding, and that is not the first time he saw
 Curtis act like that.  They argue loudly about DunEllyn.  Gwyn stops,
 apologizes and says they are questioning Buck.  Clay says Buck didn't
 do it.  Gwyn changes the subject.  Clay says "I'm right!"  Huh?  He
 says that she always used to change the subject when he was right.
 Gwyn maintains that in any case, Curtis didn't do it.
* She says he is one of many people they have (or will) question.  She
 says he was at DunEllyn, considering readmitting himself -- he sat
 outside, alone.  Clay doesn't buy that as an alibi.  She tells him how
 Stacey was murdered -- with the poisoned powder.  Clay reminds her that
 when she was in charge of AE's cosmetics division, Curtis was her vice
 president of new products.  "Oh, good Lord."
* She says that doesn't prove anything.  He says they need to get him
 back into DunEllyn.  *If* he is guilty, that would make an insanity
 plea easier.  Clay leaves, but on the way out, Gwyn says, once again,
 that he didn't kill her.  Curtis comes out of the bedroom and tells her
 that he isn't going back.

STORYLINE: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT
 (starting location: Police Station)
* Charles enters with a bag of evidence.  He tells Alex that he is
 baffled why a murderer would leave a clue such as the packing material
 in the box with the powder.  They discuss their suspects.  Alex says
 that Buck didn't do it (no matter what evidence they have), and he
 doesn't think Tess did it, either.  He thinks it was Curtis.
[At the airport.]
Curtis, disguised as Buck (hat and all) and flashing his credit card,
 walks up to the counter and asks to buy a ticket to Rio De Janiero.
 "Certainly, Mr. Houston."
* [At the police station.]
Charles says they have to stick to the facts.  Alex says that the
 facts show that the woman *Curtis* was obsessed with is dead shortly
 after he gets out of DunEllyn.  He wants to lean on Curtis.  Charles
 is bothered by this -- he wants to do this by the book, and this is
 his first big case as Police Chief.  Alex agrees, reluctantly.  After
 Charles leaves, he says, "That doesn't mean I'm listening."
[At a bank.]
Curtis is at an AldenBank ATM.  He withdraws a wad of cash.  "You
 won't need this where you're going, Buckaroo."
* [At the Rodeo Bar.]
Curtis unlocks and enters the bar.  He goes to the cash register and
 (gloves on) puts the cash and ticket in the register.  He takes other
 cash out (huh?) and sets off the alarm.  He smiles and walks out.
[At the police station.]
Alex starts to leave to talk to Curtis.  Charles hands him the
 address of the Rodeo Bar, where the alarm was tripped.  He thinks it
 is a strange coincidence, and he wants Alex to go there.  Alex leaves.
* [At the Rodeo Bar.]
Alex enters the bar and looks around for a while.  He sees the open
 register and takes the cash and ticket out.  "Rio?  Oh, Buck."  Buck
 enters.  "Not my week, huh?"  He tells Alex that everything's all
 right, and he's sure nothing is missing.  Alex is stone faced.  Buck
 asks what's wrong.  Alex starts to read him his rights.  "This isn't
 funny, Alex."  Alex says he's right, this isn't funny, and that he is
 arresting him for the murder of Stacey Forbes.

-----
|  "Bring in Wapner -- that dude can handle two whole  |  Bob Willers  |
|  cases in a half an hour!" -- #5 of the Top Ten ways |  Phoenix, AZ  |
|  to speed up the O.J. trial (_Late Show_, 06/23/95)  | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+

