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

Due to car repairs and other things, here's a...

LOVING Mini-Update for Friday, August 18:

STORYLINE: COP TALK
           (location: Police Station)
* Alex tells Tony that Curtis was an OK guy, once.  Tony tells Alex
 that he will stop at a grocery store on the way home and make a great
 breakfast tomorrow.  He says he is trying to find a place; Alex says
 he is *welcome* in their home.  Alex asks if Tony knows whether Ava
 left home early.  "Earlier than usual."  Tony asks if that worries him.
 He says no, he is married to her and you get used to that.
* Jill is now there.  Alex explains to her that Curtis "went ballistic."
 She says she is glad that Gwyn is taking the day off, and that her
 psychological profile of the serial killer is very good.  Alex agrees
 and says it works for him.  Tony says he's not so sure: he thinks she
 is bending over backwards to not implicate Curtis.  Jill says that the
 two murders were well planned, not the impulsive behavior Curtis is
 known for.  Tony still isn't buying: maybe he is smarter than everyone
 thinks.  Alex says he disagrees, but that's good work.  Tony says he
 took the crystal jar with the body powder to the crystal shop and that
 they said it is as rare as they come.  Jill says she cross-matched the
 suppliers of the powder with those of the poison, but so far, no match.
 She says it is the same thing with the medication in the brandy.  Tony
 reminds them that Curtis bought the brandy, and that he had something
 to do with AE's cosmetics division.  Alex says he has his mind on Ava.
 Jill is brought a report from the photo lab.  Alex calls for Ava, but
 he finds out that she called-in sick.  He calls home, but gets their
 answering machine.  Tony asks if he is thinking about what is happening
 to Ava.  Alex says he isn't thinking, he's worrying.
* Jill says the leaves in the photograph are from trees which aren't
 indigenous to Corinth.  (Tony explains "indigenous" to them.)  Jill
 says she is going to run with that tidbit and leaves.  Alex tries home
 again and gets the machine again.  Tony says maybe she is there and
 sleeping/screening or maybe she went to the doctor.  Maybe, says Alex.
 Alex says a package arrived for Tony.  A care package from home, says
 Tony.  Your mother's cannole?  He says he wouldn't share a delicacy
 like that.  An officer comes by to pick up some evidence, and when Tony
 hands it to him, Alex goes for the package.  Tony grabs it, and it rips
 apart.  A bear falls out.  "Did your mommy think that her little boy
 was not having a good night's sleep?"  He says he told her he was a
 little homesick, so she sent it to him.  He says he thinks he knows
 someone who might be able to take care of it for him.  Good, says Alex.
 He is going to go to Dunellen and see if Curtis is calm enough to
 answer some questions.  He calls the bear "Yogi" and Tony informs him
 that his name is "Duke."  Tony leaves.
* [Storyline splits.  See below.]

STORYLINE: DOLLS, BEARS and APOLOGIES
           (location: Corinth Towers)
* Richard is going through the trash in a maid's card at the Corinth
 Towers.  The maid comes out of Gwyneth's room and is scared by him.
 He apologizes and leaves, presumably with some ill-gotten trash.
[In Stephanie's room.]
Stephanie is on the phone, telling Deborah that it was a false alarm.
 She explains that her body is just making room for the baby and that
 everything is fine.  A knock on the door: it is her dinner.  She tells
 Deborah to stop worrying as she gets some cash.  She hangs up and turns
 around; Richard is there replacing the room service man.  He says he
 brought something for the baby.
* Stephanie says she doesn't know how he found out about that, and says
 he is sleaze.  She asks him to leave.  He says he is there to eat crow
 and asks for five minutes of her time.  She agrees, but she had better
 "see him squirm."  He says that when his father died, he left him a
 scrapbook with every article he had ever written.  He has read them
 many times and pretty much has them memorized.  She says his father was
 a reporter, not a huckster like him.  He says his dad had a saying: "go
 where the wind blows you and make the best of where you land," and that
 he lives by those words.  He says the wind blew him to Corinth as a
 reporter for _Hot Line_.  He tries to make the best of this, and right
 now, that is to report on what the people of Corinth really want to
 know about: the murders.  What's so wrong with that?
* She says her problem with him is how he goes about things, and that
 his father would be ashamed of him.  No, says Richard, he wasn't afraid
 to dig for the truth.  "People in power have a way of not shedding a
 light on certain things."  He says he isn't leaving until she accepts
 his apology.  She says she still doesn't know how he found out about
 her pregnancy.  He says he didn't; he brought those things because
 she reminds him of his mother.  He hands her a doll.  "Richard, it's
 beautiful."  She says she can't keep it.  He says it's not a bribe.
 He gets out a game called Chessie -- he says it is a game of high
 intrigue.  He asks, "Do you dare?"  "You're an idiot."  "Perhaps,
 but do you dare?"  "Give me the dice."
* Tony arrives with Duke.  He tells Duke to not let him down.  He bangs
 on the door.  Stephanie answers and lets him in.  He becomes quite a
 bit less enthusiastic when he sees Richard, who says he had to come by
 and give Stephy some heirlooms.  He asks if Tony plays Chessie.  Nope.
 Tony says he has to go.  Stephy asks what's in the bag.  Tony ponders
 that for a second, but leaves.  Richard laughs and says he guesses he
 didn't want to share sandwiches with them.  Stephanie gets mad.  She
 asks him to leave and, throwing the doll at him, tells him to take it
 with him.
[At the elevator.]
"What's wrong with you, Soleito, you idiot?"

STORYLINE: IF YOU DIDN'T READ THE SPOILERS...
           (location: Dunellen)
* Ava enters and asks to see Curtis.  The receptionist says that's not
 possible; he is under sedation and even family members won't be allowed
 in until after shift change.  Ava claims to be his sister and that she
 is going to miss a flight if she can't see him right away.  She says
 she promises she won't stay for very long.  The receptionist leaves to
 ask the supervisor.  "Well, mama always said that when God closes the
 front door, sometimes he opens a hallway."  She walks on in.
[In Curtis' room.]
Curtis is asleep in a bed.  [In black-and-white.]  Someone enters the
 room.  Curtis stirs, then wakes up.  "Hi.  What are you doing here?"
* [In black-and-white.]  Curtis apologizes, saying that the sedatives
 are affecting him.  "You look different."  The killer grabs a robe
 from the chair and hands it to Curtis.  "We going someplace?  Cool.
 Road trip."
* [In black-and-white.]  They walk down the hallway to the therapy
 room.  He says he tried it once; it's nice and peaceful.  "Surf's
 up."  He steps into the water.
* [In black-and-white.]  Curtis is lying in the water.  We hear the
 pen clicking.  The killer closes the door.  The music box/celeste
 version of "Itsy Bitsy Spider" plays.  Curtis turns face-down in the
 water and air bubbles come up...
[In Curtis' room.]
[In color.]  Alex enters, not believing that Ava, owner of an entire
 department store, calls in sick because of a headache.  He says he
 knows exactly where she is and opens the drawers of the phone stand.
 He starts to dial a number, but stops and opens the top drawer again.
 He pulls out another crystal jar of body powder which exactly matches
 the (rare) one with Stacey's powder.
[In the parking lot.]
Ava runs to her car, breathless.  She gets in and catches her breath.
[In the therapy room.]
We see Curtis lying face-down in the water.  No more air bubbles!

-----
|  "If Ronald Reagan was the Great Communicator,       |  Bob Willers  |
|   then Bill Clinton is the Great Fornicator."        |  Phoenix, AZ  |
|   -- Unknown                                         | MY opinions!! |
+------------ willers@trombone.sps.mot.com ------------+---------------+

