From: Marni Centor <mccb@idt.net>

GUIDING LIGHT UPDATE - THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3, 1998

HIGHLIGHTS:
* Harley & Phillip reconcile. They suspect Beth in her poisoning.
* Drew saves Jesse's butt, keeping Michelle in the dark.
* Blake begs Holly for help in getting the videotape.
* Ben interviews Rick, who refuses to testify against Blake.
* Teri interviews Alan in connection with Harley's poisoning.

HARLEY'S APT: Harley wakes up next to Phillip & he asks if she's feeling
any better. She tells him he's supposed to be in the bathtub, not under
the covers with her. She's still mad at him about pretending to be Don
Minyard. Phillip says Harley has to get it out of her system so they can
move on. He's more concerned about finding out who tried to kill Harley.
Harley doesn't think there's any mystery; she's sure it was Beth.

COMPANY: Drew enters & joins Jesse at the counter. Jesse says he's
waiting for Michelle. He's depressed about all the money he lost playing
poker. And now he owes a lot of money to Mick, and the interest is going
to pile up if he can't pay Mick back quickly. He asks if Drew would be
willing to loan him some money so he can pay back the loan. Michelle
arrives & asks what Jesse's talking about.

MARLER HOUSE: Blake is happy when Holly arrives, but quickly stops what
she's about to say when she sees that Holly is with someone. Holly
introduces Blake to her Uncle Ken. Ken says Blake is more beautiful than
her pictures. Blake asks for some privacy to talk to her mom alone. Ken
goes to see the twins. Blake tells Holly that she's being blackmailed
for the videotape of her & Ben in bed.

Holly gives Blake grief for meeting with the blackmailer alone. Blake
says she needs Holly's help to get the cash to pay the guy off. Holly
says you can't give in to a blackmailer. They never let you off with one
payment. Blake explains that the guy is selling the tape to the highest
bidder--her or Ben. All she has to do is get the money and beat Ben to
the punch.

BEN'S PLACE: Ben is on the phone with his banker, Monty, trying to raise
cash. He tells Monty to sell whatever he has to. After he hangs up, he
vows to get the tape to prove to the world that he didn't rape Blake.

COMPANY: Jesse tells Michelle that Drew suggested he borrow some money
so he could print up some brochures to promote his artwork. Michelle
tells Drew that Jesse has to work hard for his money & he can't just
throw it around. Michelle wants to go to the gallery to see the painting
Jesse sold. Drew acts like this is a great idea & Jesse reluctantly
agrees to go.

SPAULDING MANSION: Teri interrupts Alan in his study, saying she needs 5
minutes of his time. Alan says he's very busy. Teri tells Alan that
someone poisoned Harley & asks if he knows anything about it. Alan says
he knows nothing & suggests that Teri leave. Teri doesn't think so. She
sits down & asks when Alan last saw Beth. He says he doesn't know, but
she's away right now. Teri knows that Beth & Harley don't get along, and
that Beth recently threatened Harley. She's a potential suspect in the
case. Alan is uninterested & wants to go back to work. Teri asks if Alan
knows where Beth is. Alan says no. Teri finds this hard to believe. She
doubts he would let Beth leave with Lizzie without at least getting a
phone number or knowing her destination.

HARLEY'S PLACE: Harley says the poisoned apple is the oldest trick in
the book for the wicked witch to get rid of the new chick. Phillip says
he's sure all the potential suspects will be investigated, including
Beth. Harley wants to get up & get dressed. Phillip wants her to stay in
bed & rest. Harley wants to get to the bottom of who poisoned her.
Phillip says he's going to meet with Frank. Harley thinks Phillip will
try to steer the investigation away from Beth, but Phillip says she's
wrong & is talking nonsense. Harley asks what Phillip will do if it does
turn out to be Beth? Will he move back in with her to help her get over
it? Maybe remarry her? 

Phillip says Harley really doesn't get it. Who does she think told Frank
the incriminating things about Beth that will get her called in for
questioning? "If she did this to you, I guarantee there will be hell to
pay." Harley is speechless.

SPAULDING MANSION: Alan repeats that he doesn't know where Beth is, and
asks her to leave. He mispronounces her name on purpose. Teri comments
on a beautiful vase & says the whole place looks like a museum. Alan
says Teri has fine taste. He says the vase is Ming dynasty & gives it to
Teri to hold. He asks her to stay awhile & have some coffee. He says
they have many fine things in the house. Beth & Lizzie are extremely
comfortable there. Alan thinks Harley is jealous and whenever something
goes wrong, she points a finger at her rival, Beth. Beth & Lizzie have
the run of Alan's "palace." Teri says a Ming vase won't keep you warm at
night. "Not like Annie Dutton, anyway."

Alan asks what Teri is talking about. Teri suggests that if Beth is
innocent, perhaps the culprit is Annie. She has been in touch with Alan,
and she did try to kill Harley once before, along with a number of other
people. Alan says that's untrue. He also says he has no idea where Annie
is. Teri wonders how Alan ever became involved with such a psychopath.
Alan says no one understands what he & Annie have. Teri says Alan lives
in a fantasy world. "Your former lover, Annie, and your favorite
ex-daughter-in-law du jour. But if they tried to hurt Harley before,
believe me, they're going to try and do it again." Teri is trying to
stop this before it becomes a murder investigation.

HARLEY'S PLACE: Harley wants to know what Phillip told Frank. He says
Harley knows already. He told Beth that Harley was going to have lunch
with Lizzie & Beth said, "Over my dead body." Better yet, mine, surmises
Harley. Phillip says when he found Harley unconscious & lifeless, he
started flashing on all sorts of stupid little things, like the way she
says his name. He thought, what if he never saw her again, or looked in
her eyes again? He panicked & prayed that Harley wouldn't die. Harley is
touched. Phillip is sure he doesn't want to live his life without
Harley. They hug.

MARLER HOUSE: Holly is angry. She has tried to help Blake all along, but
this is going way too far. Blake begs Holly for help. Holly says she
doesn't have that kind of money. Blake says Roger does & wants Holly to
contact him. Holly refuses, saying Roger cost her her husband &
daughter. Blake doesn't feel she can go to Roger herself. Can Holly get
some money from the Journal? Holly says absolutely not. She says there
must be some other way to get the tape besides paying for it. She asks
Blake about the blackmailer. Blake can't think of anything that will
help. Ken listens to the conversation from beyond the doorway. Blake
says if Ben plays that tape in court, her life is over.

GALLERY: Michelle goes up to Mark, the gallery owner, & says she'd like
to see the painting that Jesse sold. Mark says it's in the back being
framed. Jesse is stunned, not having realized that one of his paintings
actually sold. The owner says it was a very "significant" sale & if
Jesse keeps doing this well, he's going to really make a name for
himself. Michelle gives Jesse a celebratory kiss. Drew looks strangely
self-satisfied.

MARLER HOUSE: Ken continues to eavesdrop while Blake begs Holly for
help. Holly gives Blake an "I-told-you-so" speech about Ben. Blake says
she never thought things would turn out this way with Ben; she thought
he was different. He held her in his arms & said he loved her & wouldn't
let anything hurt her. But now she thinks it was all a lie to get her
into bed.

BEN'S: Ben invites Rick in. Rick is there because Ben has subpoenaed him
in the rape case. Ben asks Rick about his relationship with Blake. Rick
says it wasn't a relationship. He refuses to say anything bad about
Blake. He knows Ben plans to parade a bunch of men through court to get
them to testify that Blake was a slut, "and I won't be one of them." Ben
says Rick will be under oath, so he won't have a choice.

HARLEY'S: Phillip asks Harley not to give him a hard time about wanting
to protect her. It's part of the job description for a husband. He loves
Harley for all that she is, but she's also his other half. Harley says
no one has ever loved her this way. Something was always missing in the
past. She thought she was happy, at the time. Phillip knows what she
means. But this, she says, is how it's supposed to be. This is the real
thing. Harley wants to freeze this moment in time, because she feels so
completely happy. But she's still a little scared. She understands that
Phillip's motives were pure. Phillip promises to be completely honest in
the future. He wants to make love with her right now. Harley says
someone tried to poisoned her, maybe Beth. She doesn't know if she'll be
moving to her new office. Phillip starts kissing her as she says she has
2 cases that she's behind on, and the only thing she has on her mind
right now... seems to be Phillip. They start making out intensely.

SPAULDING MANSION: Alan says Teri only cares about finding out who
poisoned Harley, not about his Ming vase. Teri admits that she wanted to
buy some more time with Alan, so she asked him about his tchotchkes.
Alan's not familiar with the Yiddish term for "stuff." He suggests that
Teri focus on Harley's former clients, since she works in a dangerous
business. Teri takes this to mean that he wants her to forget about Beth
& Annie. In a word, says Alan, yes. He wants to show Teri the front
door, but a book on the table catches her eye. She asks Alan what it is.
She notes that it's a book of nursery rhymes. There's a marker in the
book, and the page it's on has the rhyme, "A Tisket, A Tasket." Teri
thinks maybe she should be looking at Alan as a suspect. Alan says the
book's not his. But Teri found it among his papers. Alan suggests that
maybe Nettie left it there. Teri thinks not. She is sure the book
belongs to Beth.

BEN'S: Rick thinks Ben is "getting off" on attacking Blake. Ben says
he's just trying to save himself from a false accusation. Rick says Ben
is trying to destroy Blake because of his vendetta against the Marlers,
but Blake won't leave Ross for him. He points Ben to the mirror & tells
him he's looking at a loser. Rick says they're finished & he won't be
part of ruining Blake's life, even if Ben has to sue him. Rick leaves &
Ben looks in the mirror again.

GALLERY: Mark takes Michelle in the back to look at Jesse's sold
picture. Jesse asks Drew what's going on & she says she called Mark
before they left Company to alert him that they were coming & to take
care of everything. Now, she says, Jesse owes her one. "How about my
apartment in 10 minutes?" she suggests. Jesse is grateful, but doesn't
understand why Drew did this. This was her chance to see him look like a
fool in front of Michelle. Drew says they'd have eventually kissed &
made up. She would have gotten her hopes up for nothing. She loves Jesse
& is sure she's the right woman for him. He wouldn't have to jump
through hoops for her. She's tired of chasing him. It's starting to
hurt. So if Jesse & Michelle were meant to be, she won't stand in their
way. She's tired of being an obstacle. This was her way of squaring
things. Besides, she really does like Mick. He's actually a lot like
her. She's willing to lend Jesse the money if he still wants it. Jesse
thanks her, but says he'll handle it on his own. Jesse gives Drew a hug,
and Michelle comes back out. Jesse convinces Michelle that they should
go, leaving a sad-faced Drew behind. 

Mark tells Drew that he covered for Jesse today, but eventually his work
will sell. Drew says her father taught her that if you want something,
you just have to be patient.

MARLER HOUSE: Blake tries to think of ways to raise cash. Maybe at the
racetrack. Maybe Hart. Holly asks how Blake will present her case to
Hart. Blake can tell him she needs to cover a bad investment. She
realizes all the lies that are coming out of her mouth, and the things
she's trying to ask people to do for her & is appalled. She decides it
has to stop now. She asks Holly to call her a cab. Holly asks where
she's going. "To make a deal with the devil," says Blake, wheeling
herself out the door.

SPAULDING MANSION: Alan grabs the book from Teri. He asks what mother
doesn't have a book of nursery rhymes. He doesn't like Teri's groundless
accusations & threatens to talk to the commissioner about her
unprofessional behavior. Teri offers to get a search warrant and a
forensic team. Teri asks how the book wound up in Alan's study. Alan
says Beth reads to Lizzie in the study every night. Teri finds it
awfully coincidental that Beth left town just when Harley was poisoned.
Alan says Beth would never hurt anyone. Teri says everyone has their
limits & maybe Beth was pushed over hers.

HARLEY'S: Post-boink, Harley retrieves her mail. Among the junk mail is
a letter from Beth. Harley opens it & reads: "Harley, sorry I did what I
did, but you have to understand that there is nothing I wouldn't do to
protect my child. Let this be a warning. Beth." 

BEN'S: Ben is surprised to see Blake at his door. She says they have to
talk & asks the bellhop who wheeled her up to ask the cabdriver to wait
for her in the coffee shop. She wheels herself in & Ben closes the door.
She asks if Ben's offer is still good. Will Ben buy the tape & destroy
it in exchange for her stopping the trial. "Do we have a deal?" she
asks. Ben considers his answer as the screen fades to black.


