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

LOVING Update for Friday, August 25:

STORYLINE: GUESS WHO'S COMING TO DINNER
 (location: Angie/Charles' house)
* Angie and Frankie and putting up decorations for Bree's 20th birthday
 party.  Frankie says he can't wait until his 20th birthday -- but two
 years seems like it is so far away.  Angie says at her age, the years
 go by a lot faster.  She says an older woman can teach a younger man
 a thing or two.  Frankie is mock-shocked; is this his mother talking?
 The doorbell rings.  Angie gets it; it is Bree and her mother.  "Hi,
 birthday girl!"  Lorraine thanks her for setting the party up; Angie
 says it was her pleasure.  Lorraine says she brought a friend.  Angie
 asks where she is hiding the friend.  Jacob enters: "Peek-a-boo!"
* After an awkward pause (and a commercial), Angie invites them all in.
 Jacob apologizes for crashing the party.  "Any friend of Lorraine's is
 a friend of mine."  Frankie wishes Bree a happy birthday.  He puts a
 party hat on her and says, "Today is a special day."  Lorraine: "Yep,
 a day to remember."  She smiles at Jacob; Angie scowls.  Frankie goes
 upstairs.  Jacob offers to leave.  Angie says, "Of course not.  That
 would ruin the whole evening for Bree and her mother."  Jacob says he
 doesn't want to ruin anything for anyone, particularly Angie.  Frankie
 returns with a present.  Bree says the party is enough, but Frankie
 insists.  He got her an NYU Film School sweatshirt.  She likes it, but
 it reminds her that he is leaving.  He says he isn't leaving until 2nd
 semester, in January.  She says she hopes January never comes.  Angie
 tells Jacob that his being there is fine with her.  He says he never
 would have come, but he just wanted to make Lorraine happy.  She says
 he appears to be doing a good job of that.  After a pause, Angie says
 she's sorry, and that Lorraine deserves to be happy.  She leaves to get
 the dinner.
* Angie is on the phone with Charles, saying that she wishes he could be
 there.  He says he wishes he could be there, as well, but he was just
 chewed-out by the mayor and if he found out he left to be at a birthday
 party, Corinth would have a new Chief of Police.  Angie asks if he
 could take a short break.  Charles thinks he could arrange that.  Angie
 says she really needs him (as she looks at Jacob and Lorraine getting
 up close and personal).  They say they love each other and hang up.
 Lorraine goes into the kitchen and asks if she can help.  Angie gets
 her started cutting up cucumbers.  Lorraine asks Angie if her husband
 will be able to come by.  Maybe, but just for a short time.  Angie says
 she'll like him; he is a good man.  Lorraine says those are hard to
 find.  She says the two of them have the best two in Corinth.  Angie
 looks up and stares at Jacob.
* We pull back from an empty plate; the five of them who are there are
 eating dinner, but there is an uneasy feeling.  Jacob starts to tell a
 story about a time he was in New York, fooling around on a piano at a
 jazz club.  He was "licked" and he was "giving cacophony a good name."
 His story is interrupted at that point by Charles' entrance (he brings
 flowers).  Angie rushes to the front door and gives him a big hug.  He
 says Alex threw him out; Angie says she always liked that man.  Charles
 notices that Jacob is there.  Angie says he is Lorraine's guest.  He
 gives the flowers to Bree.  She introduces him to Lorraine.  Charles
 and Lorraine look at each other in disbelief.  Charles says, "Laurie?"

STORYLINE: CLAY AND CRYSTAL
 (location: Jeremy's studio)
* Jeremy is working on a clay sculpture.  Ava knocks on the door.
 "Did I come at a bad time?"  Yes, says Jeremy, I just got back from the
 Aldens' and I'm a little drained.  Ava says she really needs to talk to
 him about the murders.  "You could tell me what you know about [them]."
* He says all he knows is what he reads in the papers.  Ava asks if he
 considers her a friend and if he would talk to her about anything.  He
 says he doesn't know *anything* about the murders.  Ava says OK (after
 a pause) and Jeremy asks if she believes him.  She says she believes
 whatever he says.  Jeremy asks why she's there.  Ava says she feels
 like there is an "evil" in town which won't go away and that she is
 very scared.  Jeremy says she has Alex and many friends.  "Are you my
 friend?  Are you, Jeremy?"
* "Of course I'm Jeremy.  Do you think I'm Gilbert?"  "No, of course
 not."  Even so, Ava asks him to tell her something only the two of
 them would know.  Jeremy says he is Jeremy Hunter, the artist, and
 shows her the sculpture, reminding her that Gilbert is no artist.  He
 says he understands her connection between "evil" and Gilbert.  Ava
 admits that she realizes he is Jeremy, and Jeremy is glad.  Ava, still
 serious, asks, "Jeremy, did you kill them?"
* "Ava, what kind of a question is that?"  "I'm sorry, but I have to
 ask it."  She says the poisoned powder came out of a jar like this (she
 produces a jar).  She says they aren't out on the floor yet.  She has
 one, and she gave him the other.  "Where is yours?"

STORYLINE: SNAKE CHARMERS and NEW SUSPECT
 (location: Police station)
* Alex asks Tony if he had gotten ahold of his uncle Roberto yet.  No,
 but he will.  Alex is glad; he wants Jeff and Trisha tracked down.
 Charles enters and tells them to turn on the TV.  Richard is "spouting
 off" again -- he asks an "ordinary passer-by" if he is scared by the
 serial killer.  No, but my wife is -- when is something going to be
 done about this?  When the police decide to get on the stick and do
 something about it, says Richard.  Maybe it's those long lunch hours...
 He tries to stop another passer-by, but he won't talk to strangers, and
 Richard plays that into the end of his story.  Charles says maybe they
 should work with him.  Tony says he'd rather work with a rattlesnake.
 Alex says they will be doing just that if they work with Richard.
* Tony is speaking Italian on the phone.  We pan to Alex and Charles
 watching more of the same on Richard's show.  A car drives away quickly
 when he tries to interview them.  Alex turns the TV off.  He asks
 Charles if they are really going to cooperate with Richard.  Charles
 says they can't have the information about the photo fragments getting
 out -- every nut in town will start planting them.  The desk officer
 says the phones are ringing off the hook about Richard's TV show.  Alex
 asks Charles what they are going to do: "To quote Richard, 'We've got
 three and counting.'"
* Tony says the three photo fragments may be from the same picture, but
 they don't seem to relate.  Alex says they need more fragments, but if
 they get more fragments...  Tony interrupts: "We'll have more stiffs."
 Alex glares at him and he corrects his term to "victims."  Alex says he
 can't believe Trisha has anything to do with this, but he guesses they
 have to follow that up.  Tony leaves to check his messages.  Charles is
 talking about the case to the mayor.  "Yes, we have a suspect...yes, I
 want to avoid a panic, too..."  He hangs up.  Alex jokes, "Easy day
 today, huh?"  He says at least *he* sees how hard Charles is working.
 Not much consolation to Charles.  Tony enters, triumphantly, with Jeff
 Hartman's phone number in Italy.  "Yes!  Bless his Italian heart."
 Alex leaves to call and see if Trisha is there.
[Later...]
Alex enters, saying he left a message on Jeff's machine, and he hopes
 Jeff calls back soon.  Charles says he is staying until he does.  Alex
 insists he go to the party -- who knows when he'll call back?  Alex
 tells him to take his own advice, but to stay away from jelly beans.
 Huh?  Never mind.  Alex promises that he can answer phones.  Tony says
 he can, too: the Academy gave a course on it.  Besides, we aren't going
 to break the case overnight.  All right, but call if you hear anything.
 He says he will be gone for *one hour*.  He leaves.  An officer walks
 by, saying there is a long distance call for Alex on line 5.  "You're
 kidding!"  He picks up line 5.  "Hello?  Jeff!  Yes, it's Alex.  Thanks
 for calling."  He says he needs to talk to Trisha.  He is not trying to
 cause them any trouble, but it is urgent that he talk to her.  "Oh my
 God."
* "All right.  Thanks, Jeff.  I appreciate it."  He hangs up.  Tony asks
 what happened.  "Rule number one as a cop: never react as a friend, as
 a person or as a lover.  Always react as a cop."  He then tells Tony
 that Trisha got pregnant, then had a miscarriage.  She started acting
 preoccupied, then she left him six weeks ago: around July 4.  Alex says
 that Stacey was murdered on July 14.  Tony says they definitely have a
 new suspect.  Alex maintains that Trisha couldn't have done anything
 like this.  "Come on, Alex.  Her brother, her father, her best friend:
 all dead."  Alex says she loved each and every one of them.  Tony says
 maybe she didn't.  [Pause.]  Alex says he wants the Aldens watched 24
 hours, Gwyn included.  Alex can't believe he has to tell Gwyn that her
 daughter is a suspect, right after "this Curtis mess."  Tony volunteers
 to do it.  "She doesn't care for you, have you not noticed?"  "It'll be
 good practice.  Besides, maybe she'll take it a bit easier coming from
 me."  Alex agrees to let him do it.  He says he is going to Jeremy and
 see if he remembers Curtis saying anything more about Trisha.  They
 both leave.  We close in on one of the photo fragments, part of a face.
[In black-and-white, at an unknown location.]
We hear the pen clicking.  We see a table and hear children singing
 "Itsy Bitsy Spider."  We see photos of the three "stiffs."  A gloved
 hand starts to put up a fourth photo.  (We don't see the front of the
 photo.)

-----
|  "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 ------------+---------------+

