Tarnished Armor
Part 150

The park. Liza sits on a bench. Colby is in her stroller.

Hayley jogs up to her.

Hayley: Hey!

Liza: Hi.

Hayley: I didn’t know that you were coming here. I would have stopped by your room this morning.

Liza: Well, it was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing.

Hayley: So you and Dad are...

Liza: I don’t know. I have to think about it. But I’m glad he’s better.

Hayley: I wish...

Liza: I wish a lot of things, Hayley. But they never quite happen with your father. Not the way I expect them to, anyway.

Hayley: It’s that control thing.

Liza is quiet for a moment.

Liza: How’s your jogging buddy doing?

Hayley looks quizzical.

Liza: I can see Ryan at the fountain, Hayley. He’s a little hard to hide.

Hayley: Oh.

Liza: Actually, I wanted to have a little talk with Ryan. If he’s in the mood.

Hayley: I’m not sure...

Liza: Well, check with him. If he is, then tell him to come on over.

Hayley: Be right back.

Hayley walks towards the fountain.

Liza leans over to Colby.

Liza: How are you holding up? Are you tired of me yet?

Colby smiles.

Liza: Thanks. I sometimes wonder, you know.

Ryan jogs over to Liza.

Liza: Thanks for coming over. I know it probably wasn’t easy for you. Have a seat.

Ryan sits down. He leans towards Colby.

Ryan: And how are you?

Liza: Oh, she’s just fascinated by all the comings and goings around here.

Ryan: I’ll bet she is.

Liza: Ryan, we need to talk about WRCW.

Ryan: Are you still having problems with the FCC? I’m really sorry about that.

Liza: No. Belinda... They were cleared up pretty quickly. But they caught me at a very bad time. Which was probably why I was so hard on you -- not that you didn’t deserve it.

Ryan: I know.

Liza: So. Now I have a problem and you have a problem. I need you back at the station. That’s my problem.

Ryan: The Cutting Edge or advertising?

Liza: It doesn’t matter.

Ryan: I don’t get it. If you need me so badly, how come you don’t know what you need me for?

Liza looks ahead as Ryan looks at her.

Then Ryan looks ahead.

Ryan: Oh. I get it. If I’m not at the station, then all the little whispering about kickbacks and the FCC just keeps going on.

Liza doesn’t answer.

Ryan: What’s in it for me?

Liza: The same. Do you want those kind of rumors following you around while you’re looking for a job?

Ryan: I don’t know.

Liza: Okay. You can get back to me. But here’s a word of advice. Someone tipped off the FCC. And it wasn’t an advertiser. It was an anonymous phone call. So someone wanted to ruin me or the station. Or you. I’ve looked into the options for me and the station. I came up with nothing. Not that there weren’t candidates, but none of them panned out for this problem. So that leaves us with only one other possibility.

Ryan: Someone wanted to nail me?

Liza: I think so.

Ryan: Who?

Liza: That’s your problem. Make sure it doesn’t become mine again.

Ryan: Not getting along with Adam?

Liza glares at Ryan.

Ryan: Just wondering.

Ryan stands up.

Ryan: I’ll give you a call later in the week.

Ryan leaves.

Liza looks down at Colby.

Liza: Yeah. I know. I should watch my temper. I’m sorry.

Colby reaches towards Liza.

Liza: You want out, huh? Okay.

Liza gets up and takes the baby bag from the back of the stroller. She opens it and takes out the stuffed duck and a bottle. She puts the baby bag back on the stroller and puts the duck and the bottle down on the bench.

Then she takes Colby out of the stroller and sits with her on the bench.

Liza: Much better.

Liza hands Colby the stuffed duck. Then she turns Colby around on her lap so that Colby is facing all of the people in the park. Liza leans down so that her head is near Colby’s.

Liza: This is what’s known as people-watching. Let me know when you get tired of it. Yes, I hear you like rollerblading. Junior told me.

Colby smiles.

Liza: I’ll try and get him over to visit soon.

Colby watches the rollerbladers intently.

Liza: You still have a few years left before you can start. Isn’t she good?

Colby laughs.

Liza: Oh, so it’s funny, huh? I think it looks hard. I don’t think you’ll ever catch me doing that. Unless you really, really want me to.

Liza picks up Colby’s free hand.

Liza: You just have me wrapped around that little finger of yours, young lady.

Colby begins to cry.

Liza: No, no. Colby, she’s okay. She’ll get up. You’ll see. See? See that? She’s fine.

A rollerblader skates over to the bench.

Rollerblader: Hi.

Liza: Hi.

Rollerblader: Did I scare her?

Liza: No. She just gets a little sad when she sees people getting hurt.

The rollerblader leans towards Colby.

Rollerblader: I’m fine. See?

The rollerblader takes a step backward. Colby watches her intently. The rollerblader spins around. Colby laughs.

Rollerblader: What do you think? Am I ready for the big time?

Colby: Bah!

Liza looks at the rollerblader.

Liza: Bah is very big with her. It means very good things.

The rollerblader leans towards Colby again.

Rollerblader: Thank you.

Colby smiles.

Rollerblader: Well, it was nice meeting you...

Liza: Colby. Her name is Colby.

Rollerblader: It was nice meeting you, Colby. I hope I see you again.

The rollerblader waves and skates off.

Liza: Wasn’t that nice, Colby?

Liza gently grabs Colby’s foot. Colby pulls it away and laughs.

Judge Carson approaches the bench.

Liza: Oh, really?

Colby: Bah!

Liza: Two bahs in one minute! What did I do to --

Judge Carson: Hello, Mrs. Chandler.

Liza looks up and sees Judge Carson.

Liza: Hi, Judge Carson. How are you?

Judge Carson: Pretty well. May I join you?

Liza moves over to make room.

Liza: Sure.

Judge Carson sits down on the bench.

Judge Carson: So this is the little lady that I’ve heard so much about.

Liza: She sure is. Colby, this is Judge Carson.

Colby looks from Liza to Judge Carson.

Liza leans over and whispers in Colby’s ear.

Liza: She’s pretty nice.

Colby coos.

Judge Carson: Is that a bottle sound, or a duck sound?

Liza: Ah. That was a flirting sound. She’s trying to win you over. Something you’re probably used to in your profession.

Judge Carson: Usually not from people this young, though.

Colby babbles a little.

Liza: Already? Okay. Just a second.

Liza takes the duck from Colby’s hand and gives Colby the bottle.

Colby grabs the bottle with her hand. Liza keeps a sure grasp on the bottle. Colby moves her hand so that it’s over Liza’s.

Liza turns to Judge Carson.

Liza: I almost didn’t recognize you out of your robe.

Judge Carson: I get that a lot. Where’s Mr. Chandler?

Liza: He went out of town.

Judge Carson: On business?

Liza: No, he... he’s setting up a scholarship fund in honor of Belinda Keefer.

Liza looks away for a moment. Then she looks at Judge Carson again.

Liza: Sorry.

Judge Carson: I had a lot of respect for Ms. Keefer.

Liza: She respected you, too.

Judge Carson: Although I still wonder about something. I wonder why Ms. Keefer deliberately flouted my ruling about supervised visitation.

Liza doesn’t speak for a moment.

Liza: Belinda loved the law. She would never do anything that would jeopardize her profession. Not unless she had a very good reason. I made her do it.

Judge Carson: I’m sorry, Mrs. Chandler, but that simply isn’t true. I spoke to Adam and he said that you knew nothing of the plan to bring Colby to you.

Liza: Adam doesn’t know anything about it. You’ve heard what Adam is like. He would lie to protect me.

Judge Carson: Adam Junior.

Liza: Oh.

Judge Carson: Apparently Adam Senior is not the only Chandler who would lie to protect someone.

Liza: Junior doesn’t lie.

Judge Carson: But you do.

Liza is silent.

Judge Carson: Did Mr. Chandler ever mention to you that it was a strange coincidence that the judge in your case was named Carson?

Liza: Coincidence? I don’t understand.

Judge Carson: My father was the judge who ruled in Junior’s custody hearing.

Liza stares at Judge Carson.

Judge Carson: It’s true. A very interesting case. Mr. Chandler was suing for custody, and appeared to be very determined to win it. But then there was an interesting turn of events. At the very last moment, Mr. Chandler made a plea for Mrs. Bodine -- that would be Mrs. Martin now. Mr. Chandler said that the Bodine house was a loving home that Junior would be happy in. My father said it was one of the most unusual cases he’d ever seen. In the transcripts, my father calls all of the participants “nuts.” And then he states that Mr. Chandler clearly has the best interests of the child at heart. Did you know about any of this?

Liza: No.

Judge Carson: I hope Mr. Chandler doesn’t make a habit of doing this sort of thing in board meetings.

Liza: Never.

Judge Carson: I didn’t think so.

Colby lets go of the bottle.

Liza: All done?

Colby sighs.

Liza: Okay.

Liza takes the bottle and puts it aside. She turns to Judge Carson.

Liza: I know this is a little surreal, but would you mind holding her for just a minute?

Judge Carson reaches for Colby. Liza gives Colby to Judge Carson and then goes over to the baby bag, searching for something.

Judge Carson studies Colby.

Judge Carson: It’s funny. She really doesn’t resemble Mr. Martin at all.

Liza doesn’t look at Judge Carson.

Liza: Really?

Liza takes out a cloth and puts it over her shoulder.

Judge Carson: I see your eyes and your nose. But her ... Why, she...

Colby grabs Judge Carson’s nose.

Liza gently pulls Colby’s hand away from Judge Carson’s nose.

Liza: Sorry about that. Let me take her.

Liza sits down and takes Colby. She leans Colby against her shoulder and rubs her back.

Judge Carson: Well. This must be quite a dilemma for you.

Liza: We always do this after she eats.

Judge Carson: Suddenly a great many things are falling into place. But I don’t...

Judge Carson thinks silently.

Judge Carson: I can see that you didn’t know. At first. When the hearing began. And Mr. Chandler didn’t know. Yes, that’s clear. But Mr. Chandler...oh.

Liza: We really should be going. She’s going to be fast asleep soon.

Judge Carson: The memory loss.

Liza gets up.

Judge Carson: Please. Sit down.

Liza slowly sits back down.

 
Tarnished Armor Index
Part One Hundred and Forty Nine
Part One Hundred and Fifty One