Roger's Reappearance, Part II
December 27, 1993

Next Scene:  The atmosphere is very calm, quiet ... music is playing.  Roger is resting on the couch, and Holly is tending to his wound.

HOLLY:  The bullet's still in you? Oh Roger ... you've got to have a doctor!

ROGER:  Not until I find out who did this.

HOLLY:  Can't you just leave all that detective work to the police?

ROGER:   No, because for one thing if they find me they'll arrest me for ... for disobeying a court order to show up at that hearing.

HOLLY:  They're gonna understand about that.

ROGER:   Yeah, well, first they'll arrest me. By the time they understand it'll be too late because it'll give whoever did this a chance to try again.

They're startled by a knock at the door.

ROGER (as he struggles to get up):  Don't answer that!

HOLLY:  What do you mean? The lights are on, the music ... they're gonna hear. They know I'm here!

ROGER (whispering sharply as Holly goes to the door):  Holly! (She looks at him, and sees that he's got a gun).

HOLLY (she doesn't think for a second that he'd use it; she sighs, exasperated): Come on! ... Roger! Put it away!

Holly's reaction brings Roger back to reality; he's ashamed, and he hangs his head and lets the gun fall to his side, and then, HOLLY:  Hide!  I'm gonna open the door!

(As Roger sits on the floor behind a kitchen counter, Holly opens the door to Blake and Ross. Roger listens to their conversation): 

BLAKE:  Hi! Listen, Mom, I know you said you wanted to be alone, but I just wanted to tell you how the concert was that you missed.

HOLLY:  Oh, honey, I'm really tired ... you know, too much ... holiday!  Why don't I call you tomorrow?

ROSS (eager to leave):  Yeah, well, Blake was just worried you got carried off by Christmas elves, now we know you're okay, goodnight.

HOLLY (laughs): Goodnight.

BLAKE (ever curious ... and intuitive ):  Do you have a man in here Mom?

ROSS:  Blake!

HOLLY (trying to laugh that one off):  Never can hide anything from you.

BLAKE (still trying to get inside the door):  I'm right, you do have somebody in here, don't you?

HOLLY:  Oh well, of course!  I've been curled up with him all night.  Too bad he's been dead for two hundred years. Robert Browning, remember?

(Roger manages a smile at this mother-daughter exchange).

BLAKE:  Oh, Mom, c'mon, you're not going to tell me you've been reading here all night. No way!

ROSS:  Goodnight!

BLAKE:  Mother!!!

HOLLY (as she closes the door):  Merry Christmas, I'll call you tomorrow, goodnight!

Roger gets up from behind the counter and sits uncomfortably on a chair in front of it. He's breathing heavily.

ROGER:  I was pretty sure Chrissy would drag it out of ya.

HOLLY: Well, I wasn't gonna lie to her, but Ross is pretty tight with the Spauldings these days.  Wasn't gonna take a chance.

ROGER (laughing at the thought):  Only Chrissy  would say "you got a man in there with you"  ... how's she doin'? Is she okay?

HOLLY:  Well, you would be pretty proud of her. She's been a real pain in the behind to the police. She hired her own private detective.

ROGER:  To find out who shot me?

HOLLY: To find out where you were!  Of course she was convinced you were hiding out from the beginning, and, what do you know? She was right ...  How long have you had my gun?

ROGER:  I guess the day after I broke in here.

HOLLY: Oh ... you broke in through the door? ... (suddenly realizing that it was him, not Eve, who was responsible for so many things) ... and you took the food, and you left the radio on ...?  Oh,  no ...

ROGER:  Sorry.

HOLLY (angry):  What about the picture of Ed and me? You smashed that on the floor, that was your work too?

Roger's look tells her it was him.  Holly sighs; she can't believe it.   

Next scene:
James Lee's Wife Speaks At The Window

Copyright © 1999 by Michael Zaslow's ZazAngels. All rights reserved.
01/04/06 05:14:44 PM