Episode 17: Culprit

Previously
Lauren was cleared of attempted murder when Morgan was found dead. David walked out on Stephanie and demanded a divorce. Mark made an unwelcome pass at Lauren. Jessica slammed Jake for his treatment of Cassie. After a call from the Delta Group, Jake met Rikki who told him all about Guy's past. Julia made Lauren think that Mark was Morgan's murderer. Stephanie picked up a man named Riley in a bar but things turned violent and she knocked him out. Cassie followed Guy to the sematary. Lauren went to Morgan's apartment and was confronted by her killer.

Guy’s Apartment: Napa City

Annoyed that the television is so loud, Guy runs out of the bathroom to turn it down holding his towel closely. He shuts the blind at the window. God only knows who is spying at this time of night. As he walks back towards the bathroom, he notices a piece of paper on the ground under the front door and bends down to pick it up. It is a photograph and he carefully studies the glossy image. It’s him…Arthur and Rose. Grabbing a match from his bedside table, he sets it alight and leaves it to burn in an ashtray.

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

Julia is waiting in the drawing room when Jake returns home and seeing the light he decides to greet her. She is sitting rigidly on a sofa, poring over documents.

"Anything I should be interested in?" he asks light heartedly, walking over to the drinks cabinet.

"No. Just some papers that arrived for Lauren about the Wheeler Foundation."

Jake takes a sip of scotch, "A Wheeler charity. That’s ironic."

Julia clears her throat and walks over to her son. "Don’t you think it would be a good idea to stay off the hard stuff?" She continues grudgingly, "It hardly cements your…marriage with Cassie if you go to bed drunk every night."

"I’m not drunk."

"Sure, you’re not." Julia replies softly, playing along. "Where have you been all evening anyway? Did you forget you and Cassie had an appointment with Dr Philbin?"

"Damn." Jake slams his glass down on the cabinet.

"Look Jake. You are all too aware that I’m not Cassie’s biggest fan…at all. But she’s pregnant with your son now. A Wheeler heir. You have to take more responsibility."

Jake pushes past, "Just get off my back will you?"

"When you tell me where you’ve been. Jessica told me you took a phonecall this afternoon and just ran out of the office. What was all that about?"

"If you must know, I got a call from the Delta Group."

Jake notices a peculiar tone in Julia’s voice. "Oh. What did they want?"

"To give me some information."

"Useful?"

"I thought so. Mother, if you don’t mind I really would like to get to bed. It’s been a very long day."

Jake’s mind is whirring after the revelation in Rikki’s apartment. It will take a while to use the information and now is not the right time to spill the beans.

"Fine." Julia sits back down. "I’ll carry on reading. Goodnight."

After Jake has left the room, Julia slides the papers off the table and forces them into her purse, glad that Jake did not see them. She turns off the main light and heads to the study.

Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley

"Who are you?" Lauren whispers as she backs away from her assailant.

"You don’t need to know." Darren Kelly steps forwards out of the shadows keeping his gun carefully pointed at his prey. In his left hand, a baseball bat is hanging down, tapping against his leg as he moves forwards.

"No. Stop. What are you doing?" Lauren stops herself from tripping and keeps her eyes on Darren.

"Don’t be stupid. You know what I’m doing." Seeing Lauren in a corner, Darren places the gun down on a table and lifts his baseball bat into the air. "You had to start snooping didn’t you. If you had just stayed out of this…"

"I am. I promise I am. I don’t know who you are…or what you are doing but if you just leave…"

"No!" Darren swings the bat through the air but stops when he hears a voice behind him.

"Put it down." Mark is holding the gun and signalling for Darren to drop his bat. "Put it down now."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

Jessica turns off her CD player and throws herself back down on her bed. The last thing she needs to listen to is romantic music. Her head aches and she massages her temples whilst staring at the ceiling. Does anything in my life ever go right? Of course Tommy was right to put the relationship on a break for a while but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt. The only reason she got through the attack was because of him. Now that he’s not around, Jessica keeps reliving it. Maybe she isn’t over it. Maybe Tommy just dulled the pain.

"Jessie?" Julia calls out, obviously not worried that she may be asleep.

"Yes?" Jessica sighs as her mother enters the room without knocking.

"Did Jake go to bed?"

"I don’t know. Why?" Jessica sits up and rests on her elbows.

"I need to talk to him."

"What about?"

"Business."

Jessica resists the urge to groan. That is all her family ever seems to talk about and her mother isn’t even involved with the company any more.

"Mom…" Maybe she could talk to her about Tommy. Maybe…

"Yes?" Julia takes a vexed facial expression, obviously eager to leave the room.

"It’s about Tommy."

Julia waves a hand, "Look sweetheart I don’t have the time. Talk to me about it in the morning okay?"

"Sure mom."

Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley

"You?" Darren laughs as Lauren remains silent and keeps her back to the wall.

"You know me?" Mark frowns but keeps the gun straight.

"Yeah I know you…You…"

Before he can finish, the front door swings open and a figure leaps on Mark sending him to the ground. As the men wrestle, the gun goes off narrowly missing Lauren who ducks automatically.

"Mark!" Lauren rushes forwards but Darren throws her back and she is slammed against the wall.

Michael grabs Mark by his collar and pulls him up. Before he throws a punch, he notices Darren.

"What? Who are you?" he asks.

Mark frees himself from Michael’s grip as Darren raises his bat again. "That doesn’t matter." Panic strikes Darren’s face as he realizes he is trapped.

"Just put the bat down." Michael gestures downwards with his hands. He is breathing heavily after the struggle with Mark. "Get out of here."

"You think I’m stupid? I’m not going anywhere. Not until I’ve finished the job." Darren turns back to Lauren but she has disappeared. Suddenly a gunshot rings out and Darren falls to the floor with a thud, clutching at his arm.

Lauren drops the gun to the ground and flings her hands to her mouth, shocked at what she has done. "Help him!" She shrieks to Michael and Mark who are frozen to the spot.

They race over and kneel to the ground. Blood is flowing out of the wound in Darren’s arm and Michael tears off a piece of his shirt to tie around it. He pulls his hands away making sure he does not let them come into contact with Darren’s blood.

"Tell us why you came here." Mark demands.

"No." Darren shuts his eyes as the excruciating pain floods through his body.

"Tell me! Did you kill Morgan?" Mark grabs his arm and bends it making Darren let out a cry of pain.

"Okay. Okay. Yes…I did…it. I came here to scare her but they…they contacted me…"

"Who?" Michael asks as Lauren phones for an ambulance.

"The…Delta Group. They made me do it. They wanted her dead."

Riley Hudson’s Apartment: San Francisco

It is morning as Riley feels sunlight on his face and holding his aching head he pulls himself up. There is a small amount of blood on the floor, interspersed with pieces of broken porcelain. Now he remembers. It all comes back to him and he angrily slams a hand down on the table.

As he does so, a piece of paper shoots onto the floor and he bends down to pick it up, annoyed by his dizziness. It has Stephanie’s name and address printed on the front. But her name isn’t Grainger. Whatever the hell her name is…this is perfect. That bitch is going to get what she deserves.

Wheeler Corporation: San Francisco

"What are you doing here?" Michael asks Julia when he sees her lingering outside of Jake’s office.

"Foundation business. I thought I should fill in for Lauren today…after last night." She hugs the files she is holding at her chest.

"Taking liberties aren’t you. Are you even a little concerned about what happened? Genuinely?"

"Of course I am." Julia successfully feigns shock. "Lauren and I don’t always get on but I don’t want her put in danger. You turned up in the nick of time didn't you?"

Michael sniggers, "Sure. Only because I knew she would go their to snoop. Well she won’t be in danger any more. I’ve been thinking about hiring a private detective to investigate this damn Delta Group that your son is so keen on dealing with. I take it you know they were responsible for Morgan’s murder."

Julia runs a hand through her hair. "I heard you talking about it last night." Michael rolls his eyes, "I wasn’t eavesdropping if that’s what you think. Why do you want to do an investigation anyway? Leave it to the police?"

"Because Lauren nearly got killed."

"And the same will happen to all of us if you keep probing. You warned me yourself that they’re dangerous."

"They went too far."

"And you’re going to take them on I suppose." Julia laughs, "Really Michael, I don’t think that will work somehow."

"You underestimate me don’t you."

"No Michael. I know you too well to underestimate you." She keeps eye contact with him. Even though she hates him for walking away from her all those years ago, she still feels something.

"Really." Michael looks away, breaking the contact. "I have to go. I’ll see you later."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

"I’m fine!" Lauren protests as John continues to ask her if she is hungry. She is lying on a sofa in the drawing room watching a trashy movie on the television. "Take a break. I didn’t get hurt you know."

"No but you still might be in shock." John grabs a blanket and throws it over her. "Keep comfortable."

Lauren sighs, "I am. God you worry way too much you know that?"

"I’m entitled to. By the way my agent sent me a script this morning. Horror movie. You wanna read it? I’m sure it will entertain you. It’s pretty bad."

"Sure." Lauren laughs. "You know I like to be amused."

Elliott House: San Francisco

Stephanie drops her magazine on the coffee table and jumps up to answer the door. Dressed in a cream blouse and brown skirt, she is looking very smart. A far cry from her appearance yesterday. She has not heard from David since he left for the hotel and it is eating at her. Despite the cool exterior, she knows she has to get him back.

"Yes?" Stephanie smiles as she answers the door but her expression soon turns to horror. She attempts to slam the door but Riley’s foot prevents her from doing so.

"Hey Stephanie. We have unfinished business don’t we?"

"What are you doing here?"

"I’ve come to see you. Maybe finish off what we started yesterday."

She looks at the wound on the side of his head. "I thought I already did that…after you tried to force yourself on me."

Riley laughs, "You were begging for it! You were teasing me. It’s not my fault you changed your mind."

Stephanie’s anger begins to cloud her mind but she is determined not to let him know. She leans seductively against the door, "You know…maybe you were right. I was a little hasty in leaving. Come in. We can have a drink."

"Thankyou." Riley follows Stephanie inside, closing the door behind him. "What’s with the change of heart?" he yells after her.

"Oh I don’t know." Stephanie shouts back from the kitchen. "I just came round to your point of view. Brandy?"

"Yes please." He enters the living room and looks around. It is very family orientated with pictures of Stephanie with another man. She did say she was divorced. But then again she also used a different name.

In the kitchen, Stephanie pours liberal amounts of brandy into two glasses but purposefully keeps one aside. She cranes her head around the door to make sure Riley is not nearby. No. Good. She reaches up to a shelf and pulls down a bottle of pills.

Stephanie Elliott. Take one twice daily.

I knew they would come in useful. She thinks to herself. Taking out five, she grinds them with a spoon and hurriedly pours the powder into one of the brandy glasses. After clearing up the remaining mess, she smiles and clutching both glasses, saunters into the living room where Riley is already making himself comfortable.

"Cheers." She utters and sits down opposite him. He does not notice the drugs and she smiles contentedly as he rapidly begins to drink the liquid.

Hartman Women’s Institute: San Francisco

Jessica reluctantly steps inside the main hall of the institute, holding her purse closely. She has nobody to help her this time. She has to face it on her own.

"Jessica!" comes a cry from across the room. Anita Hartman, well made up as usual marches over and smiles warmly. "It’s been a while. I’m glad to see you came back."

"Yeah." Jessica smiles weakly. "I’m glad too."

She keeps herself hidden for a few minutes in the corner of the room until Anita calls the women to take their seats. Sat in the usual circle, Jessica is already beginning to feel comforted.

There is around fifteen minutes of discussion from other members and then it is Jessica’s turn. She shifts in her seat uncomfortably. No matter how many times she comes here, she never fails to be nervous when it is her time to speak.

"Jessica?" Anita says gently. "Have you still been having the nightmares?"

Jessica looks round at the other faces. "Yes." She coughs. "More so recently. I…was forced to split up with my boyfriend and…well things are beginning to weigh down on me again."

"In the form of nightmares?"

"Yes. I’m not having flashbacks anymore. But I still think about it a lot. Too much if my mind is not occupied with something else."

"And how does that make you feel?" Anita prods.

"Scared…yeah a little scared. But I know he’s dead. The man who did it…he’s dead. I don’t think I’ll ever forget it though and that's what scares me the most."

"You may not be able to forget it but you will be able to deal with it."

"Yeah." Jessica replies. "I hope so."

Wheeler Estate: Napa Valley

John holds the script in his hand as he walks up the stairs. Just as he thought, Lauren found it hilarious. Now he just needs to decide whether he should take the part of ‘Decapitation Victim # 2’. It is not a tough choice. He turns the corner when he reaches the landing and enters the bedroom. Taking one last look at the script, John drops it into the trash but notices a ruffle of paper when he does so. He looks down at the script and underneath are bank statements. John pulls them out and surveys them carefully. According to one, Lauren has five million dollars in one account alone. John closes his eyes trying to resist the temptation. I do not need the money. He drops the statements back into the trash and sees Julia’s reflection in the mirror.

"Why is it that where ever I go in this house, you are always nearby?" he comments without turning round.

"Because I live here…and I’m trying to make you feel welcome."

"You only live here because Lauren is too damn generous for her own good and you’re not making me feel welcome. You’re disturbing me."

"Guilty conscience?" Julia smiles.

"No." he sighs. "Why can’t you just leave us alone? What is it to you whether Lauren and I marry each other?"

"I thought that would have been obvious."

"Sorry but I don’t know. I’m getting bored of this game Julia. Lauren’s waiting for me." He grabs Julia’s arm and leads her out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

* * *

As she enters the stables, Cassie grabs a pitch fork from the ground and walks further inside. "Guy?" she screams.

"Coming." She hears from above her head. Guy drops down onto the ground in front of her sending a trail of dust upwards. "Hey babe." He wipes dust off his hands and prepares to kiss her but she backs away staring at him. "What? What is it?"

"You lied to me." She replies bitterly, slamming the pitch fork down and causing Guy to jump back.

"Lied to you? What are you talking about?"

"I followed you to the sematary yesterday. I saw the gravestone and the note. Don’t try talking your way out of this one. I’m just surprised it took me so long to work out the truth. You are using me as part of some vendetta against the Wheelers. Admit it." Burning rage consumes her chest and she knows that it is not good for the baby. Her blood pressure is already higher than normal.

"You followed me? Are you spying on me now?"

"You were supposed to meet me. What else did you expect me to do when I saw you driving off? Don’t try and turn this round on me. It’s you who is in the wrong here, not me."

"I can explain…" Guy reaches out his arms to embrace her.

"Why doesn’t that surprise me?" She uses her hands to hit his arms away.

"Yes, I was at the sematary and yes I visited the grave. But Arthur and Rose Garrett were not my parents."

"What?" Cassie frowns, "But on the note it said…"

"I know what it said." Guy crosses his arms and keeps an eye on the door to make sure nobody is listening outside. "You want to know the truth?"

"It would be a pleasant change, yes."

"Okay. If this proves that I trust you and you really wanna know...the Garretts adopted me when I was born. My real mother…was Isabelle Wheeler."

"What?" Cassie gasps and almost stumbles. "No. You’re crazy. I can’t believe I ever…"

"Listen to me." Guy grabs her and shocks her into listening. "Martin Wheeler gave me to the Garretts when I was a baby because I was not his son. Isabelle had an affair…and I was the result."

"And the Garretts died in an explosion…"

"Yes! Martin Wheeler killed them to keep them quiet."

Tears form in Cassie’s eyes, "So this really is just a vendetta! You are using me!"

"No!" Guy brings Cassie forward and plants a strong kiss on her lips. He waits a while before he lets her go. "You could be carrying my child! You think I would have let that happen unless I really did love you?"

Cassie begins to ramble incoherently, "You said that was a…we used…no…no…"

"I love you damn it! I didn’t think it would be like this and it was definitely never part of the plan but it happened."

Cassie frees herself from his grip. "Do you expect me to keep quiet about this? I live with those…vultures every day. How can I be expected to pretend I don’t know what’s happening when you’re plotting their downfall? They’re your family Guy! Jake is your…nephew for God’s sake!"

"That didn’t stop them from disowning me. They’re no family of mine."

"Listen to what you’re saying." Cassie puts her hands on Guy’s face and holds it tightly. "They don’t know about you! That you even exist! Lauren…I know she would never have let you stay away for this long if she knew about you."

"It’s not Lauren I hate. It’s Julia, Jake…and Douglas. All the inheritors of the Wheeler greed."

"Douglas is dead. You didn’t…"

There is a silence and Cassie is unable to finish the sentence. It’s not possible that Guy could be capable of murder…is it?

"I had nothing to do with that." Guy looks away, disgusted that Cassie could even entertain the notion. "I want them alive to pay…not dead. That’s too easy."

"I love you…but I don’t agree with this."

"You don’t have to."

Guy’s Apartment: Napa City

Jake walks suspiciously down the hallway, annoyed by the flickering lights overhead and reaches Guy’s apartment. He takes a pile of photographs from his pocket and studies them. They all show the Garrett graves…the truth. Kneeling down but trying to remain inconspicuous, Jake slides the photographs under Guy’s door.

Elliott House: San Francisco

"I think…I’ve had…too much to drink." Riley slurs as his mind is overtaken by surreal images.

Stephanie throws her head back and laughs. "No. You’ve not had too much to drink." She places her glass down and walks over to Riley. Bringing her face close to his she maintains a smile and continues, "I’ve poisoned you."

Riley begins to thrash about violently and Stephanie moves out of the way watching him…laughing at him just like David laughs at her.

They’re all laughing at you Stephanie.

"No!" Riley screams out. "You’re trying to kill me."

"That’s right." Stephanie laughs again maniacally. "Run. Go on…try and get away."

Riley stumbles off the sofa and drags himself across the floor to the stairs. He begins to pull himself up and Stephanie follows. "That’s right Riley. Go up the stairs. We’re going to the balcony."

Riley splutters and Stephanie grabs him, forcing him to follow her. He is too heavy for her to drag behind her but his balance is now too weak to resist and he enters the main bedroom with her. She pushes him onto the ground and grabbing a key, opens the doors to the balcony. "Isn’t this fun?" she beams. "Oh no you don’t." Riley is attempting to leave the room so she runs over and grabs him pulling him over to the balcony.

He takes a deep gulp of the night air as Stephanie slams him against the railing. "Please." He begs. "Let me…go." His vision is clouded by colorful images and he can hear voices. Who are they?

"Give me…one reason why I shouldn’t push you off this balcony now." Stephanie grabs Riley’s face and forces him to look at the hard ground below. "Just one little shove…and bye bye Riley. Do you think I should do that? Do you want to die?"

"No!" tears begin to fall down Riley’s face and she rolls her eyes.

"Oh god. You’re so pathetic." She pushes him slightly and he desperately tries to hold his balance. "Whoops. Do you see how dangerous it is? How easy it would be?" Stephanie giggles.

"Please." Riley closes his eyes tightly.

"I’m not going to." Stephanie releases her grip and lets him fall to the ground, resting against the railing of the balcony. "You’re not worth the time it would take me to clean the driveway. But now you know what it feels like to be powerless don’t you. I don’t think you’ll ever do to anyone else what you did to me last night. Never."

"No. I promise...I won't. I'm so sorry. Please let me go. Please."

"I didn’t think so. Get up. I’ll call you a cab. Then I don't want to see your face again."

Tuscedero Apartments: Napa Valley

The police told Mark last night that he may need to testify to have Darren Kelly put in jail. But that does not mean staying around in the valley. Mark picks up the phone and dials a number from his directory. "Hello? Yes I’d like a one way ticket to Los Angeles. The name’s Mark Fielding."

Elliott House: San Francisco

Stephanie waves as the yellow cab heads off down the driveway with Riley in the back seat. She told the driver he was drunk and he didn’t seem to suspect a thing. As the cab leaves, Tommy’s car passes it and heads towards Stephanie who waits to welcome her son. It pulls to a halt and Tommy steps out.

"Who was that?" he asks as he locks the car.

"An old friend."

"Good." Tommy is visibly pleased. "I’m glad you’re keeping busy."

Stephanie puts an arm round her son’s shoulder. "As long as I have you…and Mark, I’m happy. You two are what’s keeping me going. I know neither of you will leave me."

Next on Power and Deception

Mark has disturbing news for Stephanie...

The Wheelers are faced with a bomb threat...

Lauren stumbles upon some interesting information...

Jake gives Guy a warning...

Jessica and Tommy discuss their relationship...

Comments? Suggestions? Please visit the Power and Deception Message Board

Or alternatively mail at: poweranddeception@yahoo.com

Episode 18 

HOME