EPISODE #5

EPISODE 5

Created By: Casey Hutchison

Written By: Casey Hutchison

Executive Producer: Casey Hutchison

SAME DAY. AFTERNOON/NIGHT.

MIMI’S CAFE

A Barista hands Thomas a cup of coffee. He turns around and goes over to a table. At the table, he puts sugar into his coffee and stirs it. As he does so, Becky enters. She goes to the counter.

BECKY: Hey. Can I just get a black coffee? Thanks.

As Becky digs through her purse for her wallet, Thomas puts a five dollar bill down on the front counter in front of her and the Barista.

THOMAS: Allow me.

Becky and Thomas smile at one another.

ANDERSON MANSION - LIVING ROOM

Michael is sitting on the couch reading the newspaper. A couple of seconds later, Cynthia enters. She goes to him. She sits next to him. They kiss.

MICHAEL: Hello, darling.

Michael puts down the paper and takes off his reading glasses.

CYNTHIA: Hi.

MICHAEL: How are you?

CYNTHIA: I’m good.

MICHAEL: If I’m not mistaken, you’re home a little early. I could’ve sworn that you said you were staying at the office late tonight. So, did you want to see me that badly?

CYNTHIA: I did. But, I also needed to talk to you about something important.

MICHAEL: Oh? What do we need to talk about?

CYNTHIA: I have a suggestion for the company. And, I hope that you will honestly seriously consider what I am about to suggest.

MICHAEL: What is this suggestion?

CYNTHIA: How would you feel about booting Lindsay out of the CEO seat?

AMY & MIMI’S APARTMENT - BEDROOM

Amy and Mimi are laying on the bed. They are covered up and naked.

AMY: That was amazing.

MIMI: It really was.

AMY: I know I probably shouldn’t bring this up in bed. But, did you call the caterer? I know he was behind schedule last time we checked in. I just wanna make sure everything is set for our big day here in a couple of weeks.

MIMI: I actually did.

AMY: And…?

MIMI: And, things don’t look so good.

JACKSON FAMILY HOME - LIVING ROOM

Jennifer steps past Philip and runs her fingers through her hair. She is not facing him.

PHILIP: Did I just hear you correctly? Did you ask me if I murdered your parents?

JENNIFER: Yes, I did.

PHILIP: Why would you ask me something like that?

JENNIFER: Look, you know I’ve been having a private investigator look into the death of my mother and father.

PHILIP: Yeah. Yeah. I know that.

JENNIFER: Well, my PI found something.

PHILIP: What did he find that lead you to believe that I killed your parents?!

JENNIFER: A strand of hair. He discovered a strand of hair in the passenger seat of the car my parents were in that night. He had a DNA test done on the hair.

PHILIP: And? Don’t keep me on the edge of my seat here.

JENNIFER: Philip, the strand of hair obviously belongs to you! So, go ahead...explain that to me. Explain how your hair ended up in my parent’s car!

Back at the Anderson Mansion, in the Living Room, Michael is over by the bar cart. He is pouring two glasses of whiskey. He then takes the two glasses over to the couch, sits down, and hands on to Cynthia.

CYNTHIA: Thank you.

MICHAEL: No problem. That was quite a suggestion you made by the way.

CYNTHIA: I know that it was quite the heavy thing for you to consider. And, if I crossed a line, then I am sorry. But, I meant what I said, Michael.

MICHAEL: While you are not crossing a line, you are walking on the line. What you are suggesting could turns this family and the company upside down. So, you better give me a very damn good reason as to why you have suggested what you have.

CYNTHIA: Darling, I always have a good reason for the things that I do. You know that. Look, I just want to say that this has nothing to do with Lindsay personally. This is strictly business. I’m just trying to look out for the company’s best interest.

MICHAEL: Okay. Continue.

CYNTHIA: Truthfully, I have been thinking about this a lot. Lindsay is very smart. But, she is also preoccupied with her image and social media. The company doesn’t run on “likes” alone. As a result of her poor leadership, the sales of the company have gone down by 25 percent.

MICHAEL: Wow, I didn’t realize that.

CYNTHIA: But, do you see what I mean? With the way these sales are going, who knows what the future will be like. We could be down 50 percent next quarter. Now, tell me, is that something you want? Do you want the company to suffer?

MICHAEL: (pondering Cynthia’s info) No...no I do not.

Michael takes a sip of his drink.

Back at Mimi’s Cafe, Thomas and Becky sit down at a table.

BECKY: Thanks for the coffee.

THOMAS: No problem. By the way, my name is Thomas Anderson.

BECKY: Hi, Thomas. I’m Becky. Becky Campbell.

The two shake hands.

THOMAS: Nice to meet you.

BECKY: Nice to meet you too.

THOMAS: So, are you from around here? I don’t think that I’ve ever seen you around here before. And, I know everyone here in Thorne Hill.

BECKY: No, I’m not. I’m brand new.

THOMAS: Where are you from?

BECKY: L.A.

THOMAS: Wow. L.A. is a far cry from this little town.

BECKY: You can say that again.

THOMAS: So, tell me something, what brought you here?

Back at the Jackson Family Home, in the Living Room, Jennifer turns around and walks back over to Philip. She lets out a sigh.

JENNIFER: All I’m asking for is the truth. That is all I want. I deserve to know what happened to my mom and dad that night. I deserve to know why their brake line was cut. I deserve to know how a strand of your hair got in that car. You know how much I have been through with this investigation.

PHILIP: You do deserve to know the truth. There is no arguing with that. However, I am just not sure that it is the truth that you are looking for.

JENNIFER: What do you mean?

PHILIP: Jennifer, I didn’t murder your parents. I didn’t cut their brake line.

JENNIFER: Then who did?

PHILIP: I don’t know.

JENNIFER: Okay. Fine. But, you’re still not telling me what I want to know. How the hell did your hair end up in that car?!

PHILIP: Jennifer, I was the one who discovered your parents on the side of the road, in their car, the night they died.

JENNIFER: (confused) What?

PHILIP: I spent their final moments with them till the ambulance arrived.

JENNIFER: I can’t believe you never told me this! Why, Philip?! Why would you not tell me this? Why would you hold this back from me?

PHILIP: I wasn’t exactly sure how to come forward with this information. I was afraid it would break your heart.

JENNIFER: I can’t believe you hid this from me.

PHILIP: I’m sorry I didn’t come forward sooner.

JENNIFER: That’s fine. In fact, I don’t care about that right now. Right now, I only want to know one thing. You at least owe me that.

PHILIP: I do owe you something. So, what do you want to know?

JENNIFER: How do I know that you’re telling me the truth? How do I know this isn’t some big lie? How do I know that you didn’t kill my parents? Hell, for all I know, you could just be leading me down some rabbit hole.

PHILIP: Honey, I am telling you the truth. You have to believe me. Come on. Just tell me that you believe me right now.

JENNIFER: I don’t know what to believe anymore. You know, my mom raised me to be a smart woman. But, I have always believed that in order to be smart, one must examine the situation properly. That means taking their time.

PHILIP: Is that what you need? Do you need time?

JENNIFER: I don’t know what I need. I don’t know if I should let you walk out of this house, or if I should just tell you how I feel right now.

PHILIP: Maybe you should tell me how you feel right now.

JENNIFER: Okay. Well, my brain is currently split in 50/50 mode. Half of me believes what you just told me. However, the other half doesn’t believe you at all. That other half is questioning why you did not tell me that you were with my parents moments before they died. This is just too much for me to handle right now. This is a lot to process. I think maybe I do need some time. I think that I should take some time to evaluate things. I need to evaluate whether or not I believe in my heart that you are telling me the God’s honest truth.

PHILIP: When do you think you’ll have an answer on what you feel?

JENNIFER: I hate to tell you this again, because it makes me sound like a broken record. But, I just don’t know when I’ll have an answer for you. All I know is that whatever decision I make, it could impact the future of our relationship greatly.

PHILIP: I guess you want me to go now?

JENNIFER: Not quite yet. There’s still one more thing I need to know.

PHILIP: Okay. What is it?

JENNIFER: What were my parents like in their final moments?

Back at Mimi’s Cafe, Becky takes a sip of her coffee.

BECKY: Mmmm...what brought me to town? Well, for starters I am a detective. And, I was relocated here because the department here is facing a shortage.

THOMAS: Really? Well, it’s pretty cool you’re a cop.

BECKY: If I had a nickel every time a guy said that to me. Well, then I wouldn’t need to be a detective anymore (laughs). Anyway, what do you do for a living?

THOMAS: I work for my family’s company. You might’ve heard of the company. It’s Anderson Manufacturing. We make parts for race cars.

BECKY: I’ve heard of you guys, yes.

THOMAS: Well, that’s cool. I can tell you right now that not every girl has said that they know what Anderson Manufacturing is.

BECKY: Not to insult you, but I would say that it appears that you’ve been dating some uninformed girls through the years.

THOMAS: I would actually have to agree with you on that one. Some would say that I haven’t found that one special girl yet. I would also agree with those people. By the way, I just thought of something.

BECKY: Oh yeah? What?

THOMAS: Would you like to have dinner with me next week?

BECKY: I would love too.

THOMAS: Six o’clock?

BECKY: Sounds good to me.

Back at Amy and Mimi’s Apartment, in the Bedroom, Amy props herself up in the bed. Mimi gets out of bed and puts on a pink, silk robe.

AMY: So, do you think we’ll have to find another caterer?

MIMI: I sure hope that we don’t have to. But, things are starting to look that way.

AMY: I’m one step away from just making all the food myself. I mean, how hard is it to cook for a hundred people?

MIMI: Trust me...it’s a lot harder than you think.

AMY: I just want everything to be perfect.

MIMI: And, it will be. I promise you that everything will work out in the end.

AMY: It just seems like we take two steps forward and three steps back. Our wedding is inching closer and closer. We should have everything almost done by now.

MIMI: Look at it this way, food or no food, we are still getting married. No one is going to stand in the middle of me walking down that aisle to pledge my love to you.

AMY: That just might be the most romantic thing that anyone has ever said to me. Did you get that from some Stephenie Meyer novel?

MIMI: That came straight from my heart.

AMY: How did I get so lucky?

MIMI: I ask myself that question everyday.

Mimi leans on the bed and kisses Amy.

Back at the Jackson Family Home, in the Living Room, Jennifer and Philip sit on the couch. Philip lets out a deep breath.

PHILIP: Are you sure you want to hear this?

JENNIFER: I’m a big girl. I can handle it.

PHILIP: They were frightened. They didn’t know what the next few minutes were going to hold. They were also praying a lot. They were praying for the pain of the car accident to go away. They just wanted to be with God. They also just wanted to be with you and Joshua. Your parents loved you so much, Jennifer. They adored you. Even in their final moments, they could not stop talking about their little girl.

JENNIFER: They should still be here. If they did not pass away, there would be no secret in our relationship. But, there is a secret. And, it took this long for you to tell me about all of this. That to me is such a betrayal. Thank you for telling me what my parents were like in their final hours. But, now, (standing) you can leave. And, I am not so sure that I ever want to see you again.

Back at the Anderson Mansion, in the Living Room, Cynthia sets her glass of whiskey down on the coffee table. She then looks back at Michael.

CYNTHIA: I know this can’t be an easy decision to make. But, I feel as though an immediate termination should be done. Lindsay should not be running this company for the foreseeable future. You have to be careful when it comes to this family’s legacy. You have to protect what you built.

MICHAEL: You’re right. I built this company from nothing. Not too many people know the story behind Anderson Manufacturing. It actually started in a garage. Can you believe that? From a garage to not one but thirty factories. And, that is just here in the United States and Canada. I have come so far.

CYNTHIA: Yes, you have. I just want to protect you. And, you don’t have to kick Lindsay fully out of the company. There are still other positions. You could make her the head of PR.

MICHAEL: You’re right. I could. Do she would understand me replacing her?

CYNTHIA: I think so.

MICHAEL: I hope. Anyway, who do you think I should replace her with?

CYNTHIA: I was thinking you could replace her with me. Not just because I am your wife, but because I do have the experience. I can do this job. I promise.

MICHAEL: I think you could too.

CYNTHIA: So, does that mean it’s settled?

MICHAEL: I think it does. Effective immediately Lindsay will be removed from the CEO position. (standing) I’ll go make all the necessary calls. And, I’ll have the legal team draw up the necessary paperwork.

CYNTHIA: (smiling) Okay.

MICHAEL: But, before I go and do all that, I have to thank you.

CYNTHIA: Thank me? For what?

MICHAEL: Well, things have not been easy for you since you joined this family. And, that is mainly thanks to Lindsay herself. But, you keep deciding to ignore her ruthlessness and look out for this family. You are truly the best addition this family has ever had.

CYNTHIA: Thank you for saying that. I am happy to be a member of this family. And, I am glad that you see my decision making as a good thing.

MICHAEL: I do see it as a good thing. I also think in time that Lindsay will come around. It is only a matter of time till she has no choice but to take her blinders off and see that you are good for this family.

CYNTHIA: One can only hope.

MICHAEL: Amen to that. Well, I better get started on making those calls. Seya in a little bit, honey. I love you.

CYNTHIA: I love you too.

Michael walks out of the room. Cynthia looks over at the fireplace. She sees a picture of Lindsay sitting on the mantle.

CYNTHIA: Take that bitch.

Cynthia then picks up her glass and finishes off her whiskey.

CYNTHIA: Point one Cynthia.

BECKY’S CAR

Becky is sitting in her car. She then starts the car and puts her to-go coffee cup in the cup holder. Then, her phone rings. She leans over to her purse and pulls out her phone. She then presses the GREEN button.

BECKY: (on the phone) Hi, this is Detective Campbell. (sighs) What the hell do you want? Look, if you can’t run this damn operation smoothly, then I’ll find someone who can. Now, make three more shipments like I told you to. Got it?! Good! Don’t call me again unless you have good news to report.

Becky hangs up her phone. She then back out of the parking lot.

***FADE OUT***
***END OF EP. 5***