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

LOVING Update for Friday, September 8:

STORYLINE: SO REASSURING
 (starting location: Corinth courtroom)
* There is a town meeting, which was called by Jeremy.  Kate thinks it
 is a good idea, but Ava wants to talk about moving to Florida.  Alex
 leaves to talk to "the hyena pack" (Richard).  He tells Richard to not
 bring a camera into the meeting.  Richard mumbles something about the
 First Amendment.  Alex asks why he is now calling the serial killings
 the "Alden Murders."  He says he needed a new angle; "the cops can't
 catch him" was getting old.  Alex says he is on thin ice.  Richard
 says he must admit that there is an Alden connection to the killings.
[In a park?]
A mysterious, petite figure with long hair and wearing a flowing dress
 and a hat sits on a park bench and crosses his or her legs.  :-)
[At the courtroom.]
Alex, Kate, Ava and Ally enter the courtroom.  Charles and Angie enter
 the hallway.  Charles says the people appear to want to tar-and-feather
 him.  Angie says they're just in a frenzy because of the media, and
 when they hear him out, they'll "come around."  Angie notices that
 Lorraine "looks a little lost."  Charles goes to check on her, which
 baffles Angie.
[Inside.]
We see Neal staring at Gwyneth.
Frankie goes to Bree, who moves over so that he can't sit next to her.
 Then, Lorraine enters Bree moves back over so that her mom can sit
 down.  Frustrated, Frankie turns around, sees Angie and Charles, and
 goes the other direction to sit down.
Jeremy calls the meeting to order, thanking everyone for coming.  He
 makes a comment about "healing" (to which Deborah makes a snide comment
 to Stephanie).  Jeremy introduces the mayor.
[In the park.]
The mysterious figure opens a booklet of photos.  We see the same two
 kids as in Neal's photo, but in a different picture.
* [In the courtroom.]
Jeremy: "Fear is a thing that feeds on itself."  He continues, but Buck
 interrupts, asking why the cops were in such a hurry right after Stacey
 was killed, but are taking things slowly now.  He and Alex get into a
 shouting match, Alex saying that this is neither the time or place to
 discuss this.  Buck tells him to find the killer, and, for that matter,
 to find Danny Roberts.  Deborah stands up to complain that her business
 has fallen off dramatically, and that people only seem to want _take
 out_ now, but that her delivery boys are scared, too.  With the whole
 crowd murmuring, Charles asks Angie to "wish me luck" and gets up to
 address the crowd.  He and Alex go to the podium.  He says he has seen
 all of their pain, their frustration and their fear.  He needs for them
 to understand that he is "locked in" on the killings.  [Tony enters the
 room.]  Charles says that he is speaking for every man and woman on the
 force: it is the first thing on their minds in the morning and the last
 thing on their minds at night.  He says that this case isn't "the good
 guys nail the bad guys" like the movies: it is frustrating for them,
 just as it is for the citizens.  They are doing everything in their
 power to see that justice is done.  He says he can't blame them for
 being angry, but they need to be safe and smart and take care of each
 other.  He says this isn't a police state, and even if they *could* be
 everywhere at all times, he doesn't think they would be willing to give
 up their rights to keep from being unreasonably searched.  He says they
 have a duty to serve and protect the citizens, and that is what they
 intend to do, and under his watch, the police will do that to the best
 of their ability.  "Thank you."  After a rather long pause and uneasy
 silence, Jacob starts to applaud.  Shortly, the entire crowd joins in.
 (We see two notable exceptions: Bree and Frankie.)
[In the park.]
The mysterious figure is flipping through their photos.  One photo is of
 Stacey [wow, that is an *old* photo], and we see a scene of Trisha and
 Stacey celebrating something [with no audio].
[In the courtroom.]
Alex is answering a question: he says their quarrel is not with the
 press as a whole, but a few certain individuals [we see Richard with a
 microcassette recorder] who are more concerned with obstructing justice
 than with championing it.  A citizen asks if the report that the
 murders have something to do with the Alden family is true.  Yes, says
 Alex, there is a connection...and, by the way, we're looking for this
 person.  He holds up a poster of Trisha.  We see Gwyneth on the verge
 of tears, with Neal in the background.  Alex says they want Trisha for
 her own protection.  Another shot of a very unhappy Gwyneth.
[In the park.]
We see a photo of Curtis.
* [In the courtroom.]
Gwyneth is standing in front of the crowd.  She says that Cabot and
 Isabelle have been pillars of the community and pulled Corinth through
 many tough times.  "Hear, hear," from the audience.  She reminds the
 crowd of the endowment for a children's center in town.  She says it
 is just like them to look to the future of the city and people they
 have left behind.  Finally, says Gwyneth, she is an Alden and she
 absolutely refuses to have fear forced upon her, and she hopes each of
 them won't allow it as well.  "Give me, give each other, give this town
 the courage, the strength and the will to survive."
[In the park.]
We see a photo of Cabot and Isabelle.  We flash back, silently, to an
 Alden party [Trisha's debutante ball?].  The figure flips to a photo
 of Clay.  We flash back to Clay talking to Trisha on one of her wedding
 days.  Back in the present, the mysterious figure shakes their head.
[In the courtroom.]
The meeting has broken up.  Deborah is reminding Stephanie that if
 Cooper were in town, he might be the next target.  Stephanie doesn't
 want to hear it and walks away.
Richard tells Tony to get his partner to calm down.  Tony asks how his
 background check on Neal is going.  Very well.  Richard asks about the
 other suspects besides Trisha.  Tony asks who ever said Trisha was a
 suspect.  "Nobody had to."  Richard's pager goes off.  "Excuse me."
Stephanie walks up to Tony and asks if he can talk to her for a minute.
 They walk out.
Tess tells Buck that she wishes things had turned out differently.  [Oh,
 yeah?]  Buck excuses himself.  Jacob walks up.  Tess says she has been
 looking for him.  Jacob says he left his $100 million in his other
 pants.  She says he is probably the one person she would never ask for
 a loan.  She says she still hopes he will move to New York with her.
 He questions that move, but she says it is the right move for her.  He
 says he'll take it one step at a time, then leaves.
Lorraine is talking to Charles, telling him how impressed she was that
 he just turned everyone around like he did.  "Almost everyone."  We
 see Bree with the angry look on her face.  Lorraine defends her, saying
 that she is just confused.  Charles asks if they can blame her.  He
 asks why she didn't tell him.  She says she tried; remember the dance
 when they talked about their future?  He says he thought she was
 talking about getting married.  "I was."  "You know what I mean."
 She says she didn't want him to feel trapped.  He says he has wanted
 to have a child for all these years.  He says he would have given Bree
 *everything*.  Lorraine is speechless.  "...and you, too."
Jocelyn enters and marches up to Ally.  "I have to talk to you."  She
 wants to know why she is doing this to her brother.  She and Buck
 can't believe their ears, and Buck practically drags Ally out the door.
 She and Kate are uneasily staring at each other, and Jocelyn excuses
 herself.  She turns and runs right into Ava.  A plastic bag full of
 jelly beans drops to the floor.  Ava picks them up; Jocelyn explains
 that they are her "comfort food."  Ava stares at the bag, Jocelyn, then
 Alex.  He notices her glaring at him.
Gwyneth and Kate meet in the hall.  Neal walks up and puts Kate's coat
 on her, as she congratulates Gwyn on her speech about the Aldens.  She
 asks if Gwyn knows Neal.  Of course.  Neal says he is sorry this is
 such a nightmare for her.  She says she wishes it *was* a nightmare,
 and that she'd wake up and notice that she's not alone.  He says that
 is the point of this whole meeting: she's *not* alone -- "we're all
 connected."  Neal and Kate leave.
Gwyn goes to Ally, Buck and Jeremy.  Buck is saying that he has to check
 on the Rodeo Bar, and Jeremy wants to talk to the mayor.  Gwyn says she
 and Ally will be fine.  Buck says he'd rather give them a ride home.
 Gwyn says she doesn't want frightened people watching over --  She
 takes Ally by the arm and says they'll be fine.
[In the park.]
We see a photo of Cooper and Ally.  The figure draws a circle around
 Ally's face with their finger.  [The figure either has long nails or
 good fake nails.]  The figure flips to a black-and-white photo of
 Gwyneth.  We flash back to Gwyneth brushing Trisha's hair before the
 same wedding.  The figure gets up from the bench, leaving one of the
 flyers with Trisha's photo on it.
[In a parking lot.]
Gwyneth assures an officer that they will be fine; her car is right
 there.  Ally goes to the passenger side and asks what that clicking
 noise was.  The keys, silly, says Gwyneth.  No, says Ally, it seemed
 to be further away.  They get into Gwyn's car.  Ally says, "One good
 thing about fear: at least it's a feeling."  Gwyneth starts the car.
 Ally realizes she forgot her purse.  She tries to get out of the car,
 but the door won't unlock.  Gwyn's door won't unlock, either.  Ally
 smells something and asks what that smell is.  Gwyn says she doesn't
 know.  "The window, Gwyn!  The window won't roll down."  She tells
 Gwyn to turn off the engine.  She says she can't.  She tries to get
 the car out of Park, but it won't go.  Ally starts beating on the
 window and saying that this can't be happening.  Gwyn frantically
 pulls on the lock and starts to beat on her window.  Ally starts
 screaming for help.  We pan to the back of the car, and see that a
 cloth is stuffed in the car's tailpipe.
* [In the hallway, outside the courtroom.]
Ava asks Alex why he always tunes her out when she brings up moving to
 Florida.  He says he isn't going anywhere until he solves the murders.
 Ava says,  "Why don't you just put a big sign on my back that says,
 'Hey, remember?  I was married to several Aldens,' and then stand
 behind a duck blind and wait for me to be murdered?"  Alex asks where
 her anger is coming from.  She slams the bag of jelly beans down into
 his hand and says, "Maybe it's too much sugar."  She storms out.
 Jocelyn follows Ava out, sheepishly.
[In the courtroom.]
Angie asks Frankie to reconsider.  Frankie says he and Charles can't
 talk.  He says she has already made up her mind which side she is on.
 Frankie storms out.  Jacob walks up to Angie and says she looks like
 someone who could use a friend.  Angie considers this, but says she
 isn't in a good mood and she needs to talk to Jeremy.  She walks away.
 Jacob sees Lorraine talking to Charles...
Lorraine asks Charles to stop talking about how things could have been.
 He says it is "tearing my guts out."
Tony asks how Duke (his bear) is.  Stephanie says he has been helping
 her realize something: she pecks him on the lips and says, "Thank you."
 Tony says he missed something.  Stephanie gives Tony a major kiss on
 the lips.  After a few seconds of this, Richard walks up, practically
 puts his head on Tony's shoulder, and asks if he is interrupting
 anything.  He says this time, the nice guy didn't get the girl.  Stephy
 excuses herself.  Richard says he has a scoop for Tony: Neal Warren
 murdered his wife five years ago.
Neal opens the door.  Kate says she went to the meeting for reassurance,
 but even so, she is glad she isn't going home to an empty house.  Neal
 says she has nothing to worry about with him around.  He closes the car
 door, then he looks like he thought of something...or maybe he smells
 something?
We see Gwyn's tailpipe.  We pan forward to Gwyneth and Ally in the car,
 passed out.

Today's commercial:
 We see a candle being lit, in black-and-white.
 "Isabelle and Cabot's wick burned out."
 The candle is blown out.
 We see shadows of car keys.
 "But the next victims are as uncertain..."
 We see car keys, in color.
 "...as the next clue to the LOVING murders.  Figure it out."

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

