SEASON 3 EPISODE 4 “Someone to Trust” Writer: Tommy Thompson Director: Fred K. Keller Kristi’s Café Clear Bay (The Maitre De of the restaurant is ushering out a man whose clothes suggest that be may be homeless.) Manny: I told you. Do you remember? I warned you to stay clear of this place. Man: I’ll do anything that you need done. I just need something to eat. Not for me but for my child. (He points to a car parked close by. In the back of the car is a little girl, with big brown eyes and the saddest face. A woman, her mother stands beside the car. Her clothes have seen better days.) Manny: I told you this is not a half way house . . . (A young woman, stylishly dressed in a tight fitting, short skirt with flower patterned shirt, dark hair cut in a bob, and large soft eyes, interrupts. Kristi: Is there a problem here Manny? Manny: Oh I didn’t see you Mrs . . . Kristi: Is this man disrupting business? Man: Well, he keeps coming in and asking if there’s any work. Kristi: Give him my table. Man: Excuse me? Kristi: Treat him and his family the same as any other patron. Manny: But I . . . Kristi: When his family have finished eating, pack them a picnic basket and give them enough cash for a hotel room for a week. Do you have a problem with that? Manny: No Mam. (He leaves.) Kristi: It’s alright. Go and get your family now. Man: God bless you. (From outside the courtyard of the café, Jarod, dressed in a white suit with open necked shirt, has been watching the exchange. He waits for Kristi to leave the café and walk by him.) Jarod: Dignity is something that you usually see taken, not given. (Kristi turns to face him and time stands still as Jarod and Kristi lock eyes.) Kristi: Family is the most important thing a person can protect. Jarod: It’s all there is. (There is a pause as both parties silently appraise each other.) Kristi: You’re not from Clear Bay? Jarod: No. I’m not. Kristi: Pleasure trip? Jarod: Business. Kristi: Well, I hope you enjoy your stay. (She turns to leave.) Jarod: I ah, I didn’t get your name. (She looks to the sign behind Jarod “Kristi’s Café”. Jarod turns and reads the sign and then he watches her as she walks away.) In the Café (Jarod is sitting at a table sipping wine. A man, sitting across the table from him is dressed in a business suit, a lawyer, Tom Viner. They have a table on the verandah which looks out over Clear Bay and a pier where several pleasure boats are tied up.) Viner: Your resume is impressive. Flawed, but impressive. Jarod: Flawed? Viner: The job you did in Seattle almost landed you in jail. Jarod: Well I’m here aren’t I? Viner: Mr Kinncade needs a consummate professional. If he is even slightly associated with incendiary events other arrangements will have to be made. Jarod: Try English. Viner: How do we know you’re any good? Jarod: (Jarod looks at his watch.) See that eighteen footer at the end of the dock? (He nods towards a boat, its sails furled, no movement aboard it.) Viner: Yes? Jarod: It belongs to the local Sheriff I believe. Viner: Yes. Randall Carver. That’s him over there. (Sheriff Carver is on the pier, talking to a fellow boatman.) He lives for that boat. Jarod: Not any more. (The boat erupts in an explosion of flames. The lawyer ducks in fright and people on the pier start screaming and milling about. Throughout it Jarod remains calm and unaffected.) Sheriff: That’s my boat. (He starts running towards it.) Jarod: (He has sat through the chaos of the last few seconds calmly.) So. Are we in business? OPENING CREDITS The Centre Sim Lab/Sydney’s Office (Miss Parker enters and moves through it as she looks for occupants.) Parker: Hello. Anybody here? (She looks into Sydney’s office. Lyle is sitting at the desk obviously absorbed in the contents of a DSA that he is watching. He is sniffing and takes a swipe at his eyes.) Mr Lyle: Miss Parker! (He turns off the DSA leader, pulls the lamp down so that his face is in shadow and stands.) Parker: What’s going on? Mr Lyle: I was just catching up on the, ah, pursuit files. I guess I’ll get back to work. Excuse me! (He leaves.) (Miss Parker goes into Sydney’s office and activates the DSA reader. DSA (The scene shows Catherine Parker in the last stages of delivery of the second of twins. Dr Raines is prepared to take the baby.) Mr Raines: Here it comes! Here it comes! The second child is a boy. It’s stillborn. (Miss Parker stands up straight and looks thoughtfully to where Lyle has departed.) Kinncade Residence Living Room (Jarod is standing in the middle of the room. He has picked up and is examining a large, colourful butterfly that is displayed inside a glass container. Kinncade is at the drinks table pouring himself a drink.) Harold: Harold Kinncade. Thanks for coming Mr Burns. The Venus Butterfly. They say if she lands on you some crap about good luck. Jarod: Well luck didn’t help this one very much. (He puts it back down on the coffee table.) Harold: I heard about your show at the Marina this morning. Quite impressive. (Jarod continues to wander around the room examining the display of expensive decor.) Jarod: Fourth of July stuff. Harold: Sheriff Carver isn’t celebrating. Preliminary investigation rules the explosion as accidental. Jarod: That’s the idea. Clean. Professional. (He finally turns and faces Kinncade.) I wouldn’t want anything to happen like happened last time. Harold: Last time? Jarod: I read the papers. I know all about how those people died in your building. It was an amateurish job. Just the kind of mess I don’t need. Kristi: (A voice from behind them heralds the arrival of Harold’s wife.) Harold? (Jarod turns watch as Kristi from Kristi’s Café walks down the stairs and enters the office. Jarod and Kristi’s eyes meet. Jarod’s expression immediately softens as his ‘tough, suave pretend is forgotten. He follows the conversation between Harold and Kristi with interest.) Harold: I thought you were spending the afternoon in town. Kristi: I wanted to surprise you. I had Doris fix us an early dinner. Harold: No time. Kristi: Well, I’m sure she can . . . Harold: Manny told me you created quite a scene at the restaurant this morning with a homeless man. Kristi: It was more than just a homeless man. He had a little girl who looked like she hadn’t had a decent meal in weeks. (As she is talking, she moves closer to Jarod.) Harold: My wife is a sucker for the lazy and unmotivated Mr Burns. Jarod: Jarod. Harold: Jarod’s a designer. I thought I’d give him a shot at the building downtown. Jarod: Could you recommend a place to stay? Harold: I’m afraid it’s the peak season and there’s not going to be much available in town. (Smiling politely.) Kristi: The guest house is empty. (Kinncade’s smile disappears.) Jarod: I couldn’t possibly put anybody out. Kristi: My husband is a sucker for the aggressive and industrious. Harold: I’ll have the housekeeper open it for you. We’ll talk in the morning. Don’t wait up. (Kinncade leaves. Jarod and Kristi share a tentative smile.) The Centre The Main Concourse (Parker and Sydney are walking across the main concourse towards here office. As is usual whenever Miss Parker is talking about Lyle she is agitated and tense.) Parker: I swear he was crying. Sydney: He was watching his own birth Parker. Seeing yourself ripped away from family is enough to tear anyone’s heart out. Parker: Since when does Lyle have a heart? Sydney: Why is it so hard for you to believe that he might actually feel loss. After all Catherine was his mother too. (They enter Miss Parker’s office.) Parker: She may have given him life but she had nothing to do with who he is. Sydney: People change Parker. Call it an awakening. Parker: Sydney we’re talking about a man who killed in cold blood. You don’t awaken from that. (Broots enters without knocking. He is eating an apple and carrying a large, plain white envelope.) Broots: Miss Parker. This was just delivered for you. Sydney: Looks like Jarod’s handwriting. (Miss Parker opens the envelopes and removes a card and a photograph of a young Asian girl.) Broots: Oh, she’s pretty. Parker: “Trust can kill you or set you free.” Sydney: I’ve heard that somewhere before. Broots: It sounds kind of cryptic. Sydney: Jarod wouldn’t have sent this without a reason. Parker: Find out who she is. (Miss Parker hands Broots the photograph.) Broots: Sure. (He takes a bite of his apple and leaves.) Kinncade Residence On the Grounds (It is later that night, and Kristi is accompanying Jarod to the Guest house. It is a separate building to the main house and the path linking the two wanders past the pool. Kristi is carrying blankets in her arms.) Jarod: I grew up a long, long way away from here. Kristi: That makes two of us. Jarod: Really. I imagine you as a little girl with a pony, and private schools leading this charmed life like Alice in Wonderland. Kristi: My parents died in a fire when I was a baby. I was raised by my Aunt in a little trailer park just west of Corpus Christi. Jarod: That must have been very difficult for you. Kristi: She loved me. That’s the last time I remember being truly happy. And you? Do you have family? Jarod: I have a sister out there somewhere. My brother was killed about six months ago. Kristi: I’m sorry. Your parents? Jarod: I lost contact with them when I was a child. I'm still trying to find them. Kristi: You should never give up. The thing you want most in life could be around the next corner. (They arrive at the guest house and there is an awkward pause as their eyes lock.) I know that you’re not who you pretend to be. I used to deny it but I know what my husband does. You’re not here to design a building. You’re here to burn one down. Jarod: That’s not, really, who I am. (The hurt of his past is evident in his eyes.) Kristi: I believe you Jarod. You’re a good man. I can see it in your eyes. My husband used to be a good man. Unfortunately people change. (There is another awkward silence.) Goodnight. Jarod: Goodnight. (He watches her as she walks away.) The Centre Main Concourse (It is either early morning or late evening as the place is deserted and a cleaner is at work. Miss Parker approaches her father who is crossing the concourse. He is reading the contents of a file folder that he is carrying.) Parker: Daddy! Mr Parker: Ah, Angel! (He looks at her closely.) Did you change your hair again? Parker: Do you like it? Mr Parker: Well it’s your head. (She is disappointed by his response. He starts to walk away. She follows him.) Parker: Daddy I need to talk to you about Lyle. I don’t mean to sound paranoid but I think he’s up to something. Mr Parker: Did he threaten you? (He sounds concerned.) Parker: Threaten? Oh no. I caught him watching the DSA of my . . . our birth. Mr Parker: So? Parker: So he was crying. Mr Parker: Mmm. I see . . . crying. And you took that as hostility. (He is irritated with her.) Parker: Well no, but given his track record I thought it was kind of strange. Mr Parker: Oh sweetheart. (He laughs briefly.) Lyle is a very deep and complicated man. Parker: But Daddy. Mr Parker: No. Let me finish. He came to me a few days ago in confidence and ah, purged his soul. I think that you can say that he’s, ah, undergoing a transformation. You know, he wanted to know the location of your mother’s grave. Can you imagine that! Parker: No I can’t. (Miss Parker is having trouble maintaining control of her emotions.) Mr Parker: Sweetheart, I know it’s hard for you finding out about your brother the way you did but it isn’t easy for him either, you know. (It is a toss up as to whether Miss Parker will laugh or cry.) Just remember that. And I do love your hair. (He laughs again, gives her a kiss on the cheek and leaves.) Kinncade Residence The Guest House (Jarod is sitting on the side of the bed, undoing the cuff of his shirt, the phone tucked between shoulder and ear. Miss Parker is sitting at her desk in her office.) Jarod: Truth can kill you or set you free. (Jarod looks up at the main house to where he can see Kristi through a non-curtained upstairs window.) Parker: So I’ve read. Who’s the woman in the picture? Jarod: Someone who got caught up with the wrong people. Parker: Haven’t we all? Jarod: Some, do worse things than others. (He looks at the newspaper article in his red- notebook which is on his lap. The article’s headline reads “Millionaire Developer Haunted by Fires” Parker: Like murdering an innocent woman in an elevator? So, what are you trying to tell me? Jarod: That you have to see people for what they are. Parker: I keep my eyes open. Jarod: To all possibilities because in the end we all get what we deserve. (Jarod looks at another newspaper article. It’s headline reads “Building Fire Kills Seven – Unknown Cause”. He disconnects and looks up to see Kristi move away from in front of the window and turning off the light.) (Later that night, Jarod has fallen asleep, his shirt unbuttoned the only indication that he made any attempt to get ready for bed. There is a heavy-looking red hard-covered book open on his chest. The room is bathed in a flickering orange glow.) Kristi: Arghhhhhh! (Jarod awakens with a start, jumps up and runs outside. Kristi, wearing her wrap, runs from the house into his arms. She is hysterical.) Kristi: Oh my God. Jarod. Help. It’s Harold. Jarod: Kristi? What happened? Kristi: There was an explosion. A fire. I couldn’t get to him. Jarod: Where’s your husband? (They look up at the room where the flames are leaping high from the open window. There is another explosion.) Kristi: In the bedroom. Jarod: Call 911. Stay here. Kristi: My husband. Jarod: Stay here! Kristi’s & Harold’s Bedroom (It is much later. The body of Harold Kinncade has been removed on a gurney in a black body bag. There are a number of deputies milling around as well as a crime scene technician taking photographs. Sheriff Carver enters the room to inspect the charred remains of the bed and the blackened walls.) Sheriff: Make sure the fire inspector has complete access to the bedroom. Deputy: Right. Sheriff: Tape off the balcony. Deputy: (She is writing in a notebook.) They still haven’t found the cause of the fire. Sheriff: Sounds like my boat. What a mess! (The Sheriff goes out onto the landing and looks down into the entrance hall where Jarod, his arm around Kristi’s shoulder is leading her into the living room.) Downstairs Living Room Jarod: (He helps Kristi sit on the sofa.) Are you sure you wouldn’t rather lie down? (She shakes her head and Jarod sits on the arm of the sofa beside her. Sheriff Carver enters and approaches them. He is followed by the deputy to whom he was talking upstairs.) Sheriff: I’m sorry to bother you Miss Kinncade but I need to ask you some questions. Jarod: Can’t this wait? Sheriff: Are you her lawyer? Kristi: Tom Viner’s my lawyer. He’s on the way. Sheriff: Well do you want to wait for him or do you want to talk to me about this thing? Jarod: What are you getting at Sheriff? Deputy: Who are you? Kristi: (She is finding it difficult to talk because of the tears.) Mr Burns is a business associate of my husband. He’s our guest. What do you want to know? Sheriff: Everything you can remember. (He sits opposite her in an arm chair.) Kristi: I went to bed around 10. Harold wasn’t home yet. He had a business meeting. I’d fallen asleep. I remember Harold climbing into bed. I don’t know what time it was or how long it had been. (She struggles to maintain enough control to be able to get her story out.) Sheriff: What happened next? Jarod: (Jarod leans over her in a gesture of support.) It’s okay. Kristi: I rolled over, away from Harold and I fell back asleep. And At some point everything exploded. I heard Harold scream and I turned and he was on fire. (She remembers the burning figure that is her husband who is staggering around, his shirt on fire.) I reached out for him but the flames were too hot. There was nothing I could do so I ran down stairs and I found Doris, our housekeeper and that’s when she told me what she saw. Sheriff: What? Kristi: A figure. A man running across the lawn into the woods. That’s all I remember. (Jarod places a hand on her shoulder.) Sheriff: I’m going to have to ask you to come back into town with me Mrs Kinncade. (He picks up the butterfly and looks at it.) Jarod: What? Are you arresting her? Sheriff: No. If everything checks out she ought to be home by morning. Jarod: Sheriff, this is ridiculous. She’s been through enough already. Sheriff: Mr Burns. The housekeeper places you away from the scene of the fire. I would appreciate it if you didn’t leave town right away. (Kristi turns back to look at Jarod as she is led off by the deputy. ) The Centre Miss Parker’s Office Sydney: (Sydney is looking at the photograph of the Asian girl.) Beautiful girl. Broots: (Broots takes the photograph from Sydney and takes it over to Miss Parker.) Her name is Shai Ling. That’s what it says right here. She’s from the Xia Xing province, one of the poorest regions of northern China. Parker: Cut to the chase Broots! Broots: Okay. She applied for a Visa twenty-four months ago. She received it a year later and that’s when she landed in Neon city. Sydney: Vegas. Broots: Uh huh. Parker: Ring a ding ding. Broots: Las Vegas is the marriage capital of the world. Parker: Marriage? Broots: Hmm hmm. You see Shai Ling is a mail-order bride. Parker: Keep digging. LVPD, County marriage records. I want this girl. Broots: Okay. Parker: Men. Ordering women like they were snow tyres. Outside the County Sheriff’s Office (Viner and Kristi walk down the stairs. Jarod is waiting for her there.) Viner: I’ll give you a call later. Are you going to be alright? Kristi: Yes. Jarod: Hi. Kristi: Hi. Thank you for coming. Jarod: Did Carver put you through the wringer? Kristi: I’ve had better nights. I think that he’s satisfied, at least for now. Jarod: I’ve had your housekeeper prepare a spare bedroom so you can get some rest. Kristi: I can’t go back to that house, not yet. Jarod: Well where can I take you? Kristi: We have a cabin just outside of town. Do you think you could drive me there? Jarod: Of course. Come on. (Sheriff Carver watches them leave together from the window above them.) The Cabin (Kristi is standing in the middle of the main room and Jarod is leaning against the fireplace.) Kristi: Harold and I used to love this place especially in the early years. Jarod: I don’t want to sound disrespectful but your husband didn’t seem to treat you very well. Kristi: He used to be. The man I loved and married was caring and compassionate. He just didn’t stay that way. Jarod: Kristi, there . . . there’s something I want to tell you. The real reason that I came to Clear Bay was . . . (He stops as he detects an odour of gas.) Kristi: What is it? Jarod: (He crouches down in front of the fireplace.) I think you have a cracked line. Kristi: Harold could never get that gas leak fixed. Seemed like every time the gas company come out and fixed one leak another one would spring up. Jarod: I can shut off the main outside, but .. you should really have, really have it replaced. (The phone rings. Jarod answers it.) Hello? Yes. Yes she is. (He hands the phone to Kristi.) It’s Tom Viner. Kristi: Thank you. Yes. No, Tom. I don’t want to talk about this. NO I’ll call you. Jarod: What’s wrong? Kristi: Viner wants to go over Harold’s will. Jarod: Now? Kristi: Something about tax complications. I don’t know if I can deal with this. I’m scared Jarod. I can tell that the police think that I had something to do with Harold’s death. Jarod: Why you? Kristi: The estate is worth millions. Jarod: Your house keeper saw someone running from the house, right? (They move towards each other.) Kristi: What if they don’t believe her? Jarod: I’ll make them believe her. I’ll prove to them that someone else was there. Okay? Kristi: It’s been so long since someone has really taken care of me. (She moves closer to Jarod and strokes him on the face. He closes his eyes briefly and then she steps up against him. They embrace and kiss. Suddenly Jarod pushes her away.) Jarod: I'm so, so sorry. Kristi: It’s okay. Jarod: It’s not. I’m so sorry. (Jarod paces in confusion for a bit, then picks up his keys and jacket and follows her out the door.) Cemetery (Miss Parker walks up to Mr Lyle who is standing in front of Catherine Parker’s final resting place. He is holding a single red rose.) Mr Lyle: It’s strange to say goodbye to someone you never met. You can spend every waking hour working your way to the top and then you get there and you realise that that’s not even what it is all about. Parker: Are you talking about her? Mr Lyle: No me. (He starts to pace.) I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way. I’ve made excuses for everything that I’ve done. But I can’t. I won’t blame my past any more. (He steps up to Miss Parker.) I can’t move forward without a clean slate. Parker: She was very compassionate. (Lyle places the rose on top of her grave marker.) Mr Lyle: I was never allowed a first chance with her but I’d like a second one with you. (He walks away leaving Miss Parker to ponder this latest request.) Kinncade Residence Harold & Kristi’s Bedroom (Jarod investigates the fire scene. He picks up a bottle of Kristi’s perfume and the scent of it causes him to remember their first encounter. He picks up a wedding photograph of Harold and Kristi. The glass is cracked but this doesn’t prevent Jarod from running his fingers over Kristi’s image in a gesture of tenderness. The deputy enters and breaks Jarod’s reverie. She is carrying a notebook.) Deputy: Where did it all go wrong? Who are you Mr Burns? Jarod: I already told you. I’m a designer. Deputy: And I'm Cindy Crawford. Jarod: The only thing that I’m guilty of is bad timing. Deputy: I doubt Mrs Kinncade would agree with that. Jarod: Meaning? Deputy: She seems relieved to have someone like you to lean on. Jarod: Mrs Kinncade is a very nice woman. Deputy: She is a prime major suspect in an active murder investigation. Jarod: (Jarod turns and faces the deputy for the first time since she entered the room.) She had nothing to do with the death of her husband. Deputy: Maybe she didn’t. Maybe she did. I’d appreciate if you would leave the investigation to the police. Jarod: A case like this could really make a cop’s career. Deputy: What did you say? Jarod: I’m wondering what you’re really interested in, Justice or a conviction? Deputy: I’m interested in the truth and we’ll find it. (Jarod nods. He steps under the Sheriff’s tape and leaves.) Outside the Kinncade Residence (Jarod Investigates outside. He stands on the patio.) Flashback Kristi: The housekeeper told me what she saw. A man running across the lawn into the woods. (Jarod runs across the lawn and into the woods. He walks through the woods where he finds a shoe print and a broken branch. The Sheriff steps through the trees behind him.) Sheriff: They say the killer always returns to the scene of the crime. The Centre Sim Lab Parker: (She is pacing up and down in front of a sitting Sydney, reading the folder containing the information about Shai Ling open in her hands.) It’s times like this I wish I hadn’t quit smoking. (She closes the folder and snaps it at Sydney’s chest who is then forced to make a grab at it to prevent it from falling to the floor.) Sydney: What’s really bothering you? Parker: Lyle is my brother. And he seems sincere. (She frowns.) Oh Sydney I want to trust him it’s just . . . Sydney: Trust can kill you or set you free. I remember who first said that to me now. Parker: Confuscious? Sydney: Your mother. (Broots enters on the run as usual.) Broots: I just got this from the Las Vegas police department. It’s a 911 Shai Ling made on the night of her disappearance. Parker: Play it. (He turns on the tape.) Tape 911: 911 Shai Ling: You have to help me. He will hurt me. 911: Slow down. What’s the problem. Shai Ling: He angry. He always angry. He going to hit me. Beat me. He’s coming. 911: Your husband? Your boyfriend? Shai Ling: He coming! 911: Where are you? Shai Ling: 233 Desert Vista Apartments. Please. He’s going to kill me. (There is the sound of a door crashing open and then silence.) Broots: When the police got there the apartment was empty. Sydney: And the mail-order husband? Broots: Vanished. So was everything connecting him to her. Parker: What about a marriage certificate? There must be some way to find out who she was so afraid of. Broots: No. I contacted a license bureau they couldn’t find any record of anyone named Shai Ling. It seems like everything about her is vanishing before our eyes. (Sam enters and hands a large white envelope to Miss Parker.) Sam: This was just delivered for you Miss Parker. Sydney: Another present from Jarod. (She opens the envelope to find another photograph. This one shows her father striding down a set of stairs in front of a sign saying “Desert Vista Apartments”. Broots: Isn’t that your father? (Miss Parker rewinds the tape and replays part of it.) 911: Where are you? Shai Ling: 233 Desert Vista Apartments. Please he’s going to kill me. Parker: Desert Vista Apartments. Broots: You don’t think it was your father that Shai Ling was so afraid of, do you? (She turns and walks away.) Sydney: Where are you going? Parker: To try and find someone to trust. County Sheriff’s Office Interrogation Room (The deputy, in the observation room looks through the one-way glass to where Jarod is sitting at a desk, a tape recorder with microphone set up in front of him, and the Sheriff standing beside him. She turns up the volume of the speaker in the observation room.) Sheriff: You want to tell me again why you came to Clear Bay? Jarod: I was on retainer to do some work for Harold Kinncade. Sheriff: Hmm. Like the work you did in Seattle a few years back. I did a background check on you Burns. You’ve got a half a dozen arrests for arson. I got a dead man, a suspicious fire and a whole lot of attitude and it doesn’t take a genius to figure it out. Now, why did you kill Kinncade? Jarod: I didn’t. Sheriff: You were on the grounds. Jarod: What about the boot prints? They’re not my size. Sheriff: Easy for you to plant. Jarod: No! I want them labelled as evidence. Sheriff: Kinncade cross you on a deal? He try to rip you off? Is that why you torched him. Answer me! Jarod: (Jarod remains calm.) I ‘m not saying anything. Sheriff: I put you right at the top of the list of the murder of Harold Kinncade. Viner: Not unless you have something more than a suspect rap sheet. Sheriff: Tom! Go away! This is police business. Viner: Not any more it isn’t. I’ve been retained by Kristi Kinncade to represent Mr Burns in this matter. Jarod: Kristi sent you? Viner: If you have proof of Mr Burns’ guilt then charge him. Otherwise I suggest you arrange for his immediate release. Outside the Police Station (The Sheriff and the Deputy watch as Jarod descends the stairs with Tom Viner.) Deputy: Sheriff. What did Burns mean when he asked about the boot prints? Sheriff: You watched my interrogation? Deputy: I thought I could learn something. Deputy 2: Hey Sheriff you’ve got a phone call. They say it’s an emergency. Sheriff: Look Deputy. Why don’t you get back out on patrol. We don’t want the system to break down now, do we? Kinncade Residence Living Room Jarod: Hello? Hello? Kristi: (Kristi runs down the stairs and into Jarod’s arms. She is close to tears.) Jarod. I was so worried. Oh! When I heard that you’d been taken in by Sheriff Carver I thought that. . . Jarod: It’s okay. Everything’s okay. (He holds her away from him and pushes the hair back from her face.) Kristi: It’s like a bad dream. Jarod: I’m here, now. (They quickly step away from each other as Doris appears from the rear of the house.) Kristi: Yes Doris? Doris: Excuse me Mrs Kinncade I think there’s something you should see. Kristi: Will you excuse me? (Jarod sits down and looks at the butterfly. Kristi returns but she is carrying a large duffle bag. She puts it on the table in front of Jarod.) Jarod: Is everything alright? Kristi: (She is close to being hysterical again.) I believed in you. I thought that I had finally found someone who I could trust. Jarod: What are you talking about? Kristi: (She opens the bag and starts pulling its contents out and throwing them on the table.) Lighter fluid. Fuses. Timer. Jarod: Where did you get this? (He stands.) Kristi: What? Did you think that killing him would be the only way for us to be together? Jarod: What? I had nothing to do with the death of your husband. Kristi: Then explain to me why Doris found all this in the closet in the guest room. Jarod: I don’t know. Kristi: I trusted you! (She turns to leave.) Jarod: Wait! Wait! (He follows her and grabs her by the arm to pull her back.) Kristi: Let me go. (He has her by the wrists as she struggles to get away.) Jarod: Listen to me. Listen to me. Yes I wanted to see your husband punished but after I met you everything changed. I had nothing to do with the death of your husband. I could never do anything like that especially to someone like you. You have to believe me. (She hugs him. A police siren is heard approaching.) Kristi: Doris, she called the Sheriff. You’ve gotta run. Jarod: I’ve done nothing wrong. Kristi: Carver has information about you that says otherwise. You gotta go. Go to the cabin. Wait for me until I come for you. I’ll call Viner and see what we can do. Jarod: Alright. I’m innocent. You have to believe me. (He runs out the back way.) The Centre Main Concourse (Miss Parker is waiting on the concourse for Mr Lyle. She is holding a file folder.) Parker: Can we talk? Mr Lyle: Nothing would make me happier. (He smiles.) Parker: There are things that I need to share with you. I have found a photograph. I’m not sure what it means . . . Mr Lyle: (He frowns.) Photograph? Parker: A picture of . . . (Broots appears in the distance behind Mr Lyle and gestures at Miss Parker.) Broots: Miss Parker. Parker: Not now Broots. (She turns back to Lyle.) I’m not sure what it means but it concerns us both. (Sydney steps up to Miss Parker.) Sydney: It’s imperative that we speak right now, Miss Parker. Parker: Excuse me. (She walks over to where Broots is waiting.) What do you want? Broots: We spoke to the Sheriff outside of Tahoe. He recognised the picture of Shai Ling I put on the Internet. So, she was found three days after the 911 call. She had been beaten to death and dumped by the highway. No one claimed the body. She was buried in a pauper’s grave. Parker: Are you telling me my father secretly married a mail order bride and then killed her. Broots: No. Not exactly. Sydney: The marriage records were erased of course, but Broots found this wedding photo in a back issue of a Vegas newspaper. (Broots holds the paper up for Miss Parker to see. It shows Shai Ling, smiling with Lyle behind her, his hand on her shoulder.) Parker: Son of a bitch. At the Cabin (It is night when Jarod arrives at the cabin. He is anxiously pacing the floor moving between the window and the sofa, peering anxiously awaiting the arrival of Kristi. While sitting on the sofa he notices a strong odour of gas. He goes to the fire place to examine it. The switch to the gas doesn’t respond to his attentions. It is while fiddling with it that he notices the wire hanging down from the back of the chimney. He crouches down pulls gently at the wire. He then removes the grate, takes a throw rug and places it on the floor in front of the fire. He lies on his back and shines the little flashlight that is part of his key ring up into the fire place. In the fireplace he discovers the explosive that is attached to a timer that has less than five minutes on its face.) Flashback Kristi: Harold never could get that gas leak fixed. (Jarod gets up and goes to the window, in time to notice the Sheriff’s vehicle coasting to a stop the lights and engine off. Kristi is sitting in the front beside the Sheriff and is giving him instructions as to how to enter the cabin. Sheriff Carver exits the vehicle and starts running quietly towards the cabin, drawing his weapon. He bursts through the front door of the cabin, his weapon raised at chest level, his arms extended.) Sheriff: Burns. I know you’re in here. So let’s just end this without anybody getting hurt. Outside the Cabin (Jarod approaches the vehicle from the rear and bangs the flat of his hand against the read passenger door.) Jarod: (He speaks to Kristi through her open window.) Change of heart? Kristi: Jarod! (She opens the door, and gets out of the car.) Jarod: Or was this your idea of protecting me? Kristi: What? No! No! You don’t understand. (She places her hands on his chest.) I talked to Sheriff Carver. He’s on our side. Jarod: He’s on our side? Kristi: Yes! Jarod: Then why did he have his gun drawn? Kristi: He wants to talk to you, that’s all. I explained everything to him. I told him that you could never have done this. Please, just go inside and talk to him. Okay? Jarod: Okay. Kristi: I want this to be over. Jarod: (He strokes her hair.) I know you do. (He starts to walk to the cabin.) Kristi: Jarod. (He turns to face her.) I love you. (He nods and walks up to the cabin and enters. Kristi turns away from the cabin to walk back to the vehicle a knowing smile on her face. There is an explosion and flames shoot out of the front of the cabin.) The Centre Mr Parker’s Office (Miss Parker enters Mr Parker’s office to find Daddy in conference with Mr Lyle.) Mr Parker: Angel? Parker: We need to talk. Mr Parker: You look like you’ve just saw a ghost. Parker: More like the grim reaper. (She turns to Lyle) I came this close to dropping my guard. (She has joined her thumb and forefinger.) Tears for mum, trust, second chances. Something she never got. (She holds up the picture for Lyle to see.) Mr Lyle: (He takes a step back and sinks into an armchair.) I’m glad it’s out in the open. Parker: Then you admit knowing her. Mr Parker: Of course he knew her. He was married to her for Pete’s sake. Parker: Daddy, you’re aware of all this? Mr Parker: I told you, he confided in me. Parker: Huh! (She turns away in confusion at this unexpected reaction. She then turns back to challenge him further.) You went to Las Vegas I have a picture of you outside Shai Lings Apartment. Mr Lyle: He was kind enough to help me tie up some loose ends. Parker: You mean cover up her murder, don’t you? Mr Parker: (He is becoming very irate.) That’s way out of line. Mr Lyle: I was afraid of what might have happened to her. Parker: Like you didn’t know? Mr Lyle: I had nothing to do with Shai Ling’s death. I loved her. Parker: Then why all the secrets? Mr Lyle: Couples have problems. I came home one day and she was gone. Took off with some drifter type or . . . Parker: Hey! (She bends down and gets face to face with him.) She left you because you hit her. Mr Lyle: (He turns to Mr Parker.) You see? Mr Parker: He never touched her. Parker: (She turns to Mr Parker, surprised.) How do you know? Mr Parker: Because he said he didn’t. Everyone makes mistakes. At lease we should give him another chance. Mr Lyle: I won’t try and justify everything that happened but I’m not the same person that I was. I’ve changed. I hope that some day you will understand that. Embrace it. Mr Parker: This whole deal isn’t worth the powder to blow it to hell. We’re a family. It’s about time we started acting like one. (He puts his arms around both of them and hugs them together.) Now I’m going to demand that we all go out to dinner together tonight. If you can’t trust your family who can you trust. (He laughs.) Kinncade Residence (Kristi is standing in the entrance hall with Tom Viner. A man comes down the stairs carrying a suitcase.) Kristi: The small bags stay with me. Make sure that the trunks are sent onto the airport. Viner: I wish you would postpone this trip. Kristi: Harold’s will was water tight, that’s what you said. Viner: He’s been dead less than a week. Yesterday Burns and Sheriff Carver were blown to bits in a cabin owned by you. It might look better if you didn’t appear so anxious to get out of town. Kristi: Let me tell you something councillor. Jarod Burns murdered my husband and then killed Sheriff Carver to cover his tracks. It was just my good fortune that he screwed up and killed himself. I’m on a flight to Paris in two hours. Do you have all the bank information? Viner: The money will be wired to Paris by the end of the week. (His phone rings. He answers it.) Yeah. Are you sure. Can’t it be sent ahead to Paris? (He listens and then disconnects without another word.) Kristi: What’s wrong? Viner: It appears there’s an addendum to Harold’s original will. Kristi: Meaning? Viner: Without your signature you will forfeit a sum of money. Kristi: How much? Viner: Fifty thousand dollars. But considering that the inheritance is worth 10 million I don’t think that it is anything to worry about. Kristi: I don’t pay you to think. Switch my flight to midnight and have your assistant bring me those papers before I leave. Viner: But what about . . . Kristi: Just do it. Kinncade Residence By the Pool (Kristi gets out of the pool, ties a wrap around her waist and picks up a glass of champagne, takes a sip and smiles. The homeless man from the restaurant approaches her.) Man: Good afternoon Mrs Kinncade. Kristi: Who the hell are you? Man: You helped me the other day at your restaurant. Kristi: What are you doing here? Man: My little girl wanted to thank you and we wanted to say how sorry we were for the loss of your husband. (The little girl comes forward carrying a bunch of flowers. She hands them to Kristi who snatches them and throws them on the ground. The little girl, who gets a fright, turns and runs back the way she came.) Kristi: What are you people doing on my property? This is a private residence. Man: The deputy let us in the front gate. Kristi: The deputy? Deputy: (The deputy approaches from through the woods. She is leading Sheriff Carver whose hands are cuffed behind his back. She is accompanied by three other deputies.) I hope we’re not interrupting. Kristi: (Kristi turns and drops the glass when she sees Carver.) I saw you die. Jarod: (Jarod approaches from behind her. She spins around.) You should have taken your original flight Kristi. But then again I knew that a girl like you couldn’t give up fifty thousand dollars. Kristi: Jarod. Jarod: Maybe you’d better sit down. You look a little weak in the knees. Kristi: I saw you walk into the cabin. I saw . . . Jarod: No! You saw what you wanted to see. What you didn’t see was the Sheriff and me go out the back door before your home made bomb blew it to bits. Oh, Sheriff Carver, he confessed to the murder of your husband and he implicated you in the whole thing. Kristi: Jarod. Jarod: It was a brilliant plan. Really! I mean, you had all the bases covered. I mean, what better partner in a murder than the man who was covering the investigation. You both played your parts brilliantly. Flashback Carver: I’m sorry to bother you Ms Kinncade but I need to ask you some questions. Kristi: He was on fire. Deputy: Cuff her. Jarod: Oh and then there were the subtle touches. Your tears were so convincing the night you murdered your husband. Flashback Jarod: Stay here! Kristi: My husband! Jarod: Stay here! Jarod: Routine maintenance calls to the gas company about that pesky leak before the accidental explosion. The only thing that was missing was a patsy, a fall guy to come along and pin the whole thing on. Flashback Kristi: Jarod, I love you. Kristi: Jarod it was never personal. Jarod: Oh, you’re wrong. It was very personal. You know, there’s just one thing I still can’t figure out. Kristi: What’s that? Jarod: Whatever happened to that happy little girl from Corpus Christi. (Kristi is led away by the deputies. Jarod bends and picks up one of the discarded flowers. He looks at it then tosses it into the pool.) The Centre Miss Parker’s Office (Miss Parker is dressed to go out for the evening in a short and simple black dress, pearls and with her pulled up. She is about to leave when the phone rings.) Parker: What? (It is Jarod. He is in a phone booth in which his voice echoes until he opens the door.) Jarod: I assume you found Shai Ling. Parker: I found her. She was in a county cemetery with a wooden grave marker. Jarod: Another Casualty of the Centre. Parker: Not according to Mr Lyle and my father. Jarod: And you think that you can trust what they say? Parker: As opposed to trusting you? That’s kind of like jumping out of the fire into the fire, isn’t it? Jarod: You think you know the truth about your father and Mr Lyle and whole killed your mother. But the fact is you only know what the Centre wants you to know. Parker: What do you want from me? Jarod: The same thing you want from me. A little trust. Parker: I have to go. Jarod: Careful Miss Parker. Remember what your mother used to say. Trust can kill you or set you free. Main Concourse Mr Parker: Ahh. There’s my angel. Sweetheart, you are beautiful. Let’s get a move on. Parker: Where’s Lyle? Mr Parker: He called. He’s going to meet us there. He said he didn’t want another minute go by without arranging a proper burial for Shai Ling. I’ll get the car. Parker: Daddy! (He turns to face her but she changes her mind as to what she was really going to say.) You look very handsome tonight. Mr Parker: You betcha! Mr Lyle’s Office (Mr Lyle is sitting at his desk. Spread out before him are a number of newspapers that are for the sole purpose of advertising mail order brides. He is cutting out pictures and descriptions.) CLOSING CREDITS