1. The Babysitter

[r2k]

Alright everyone. I’ve worked hard on this. I’m sure it could use more work. In the hands of a professional writer, it would be excellent. Pay attention. A somewhat humorous reference to a past case will be made.

The Babysitter

May 16, 1980

The song “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen plays in the opening scene. It is inside a house nearing 7:00 P.M. 17 year old Lisa Trezac is playing dolls with 4 year old Chelsea Hunt.

Lisa: Oh! You know it’s about time for you to go to bed.
Chelsea: Do I have to?
Lisa: I’m afraid you do. It’s important for small kids like you to get plenty of sleep.
Chelsea: Why?
Lisa: So you can live to play dolls another day.
Chelsea: You’re the best babysitter in the whole world.
Lisa: Tell me something I don’t know.

The two laugh and begin to walk upstairs.
Lisa: Let’s go brush those chompers.
Chelsea: Chomp! Chomp! Chomp! He he he he he!! Read me a bedtime story.
Lisa: You think I’d forget the best part of babysitting. But not until those teeth are brushed. Don’t forget to put your tooth under your pillow. You wouldn’t want the tooth fairy to pass this house because you were still up.

It is now some time after. Chelsea is sleeping sound. The camera leaves her and heads toward the bedroom door. The camera moves downstairs to the living room. Lisa lays on the couch dead with her eyes open. No blood is visible. Her neck is bruised. She lays on her back staring at the television set, which is turned off.

Cut to the police station. Lisa’s box is being filed away.

PRESENT

Lilly is sitting at her desk when a 28 year old girl comes up to her. Her image changes to that of a 4 year old girl and then back again.

Chelsea: Are you Detective Rush?
Lilly: The one and only.
Chelsea: Stupid question. I’ve read so much about you in the news.
Lilly: All good, I hope.
Chelsea: You’re on a role. I’ll bet every free murderer out there is sleeping with one eye open, knowing the day will come when you show up at their door.
Lilly: That is the point.
Chelsea: Anyway, I’ve been troubled lately. After reading about you I thought maybe you could help.
Lilly: I’ll do what I can. Tell me what you’ve got.
Chelsea: That’s the problem. I don’t think I have enough.
Lilly: You’d be amazed how many people have thought that. Chelsea, sometimes the smallest details can make the biggest difference.
Chelsea: Are you sure?
Lilly: Honey, there’s a guy on death row in New Jersey right now named Henry who would be more than glad to agree with you right now.
Chelsea: Okay then. I feel a little better about this. You see, for years I thought this was a figment of my imagination.

Stillman walks up to both of them. Chelsea recognizes him.
Chelsea: You were the detective who worked the original case.
Stillman: I’ve worked many. Refresh my memory.
Chelsea: It’s me, Chelsea Hunt. Remember, Lisa Trezac from 1980. She was strangled in my living room.

Vera walks up and interrupts.
Vera: What was she doing in your living room?
Lilly: Babysitter?
Chelsea: Yes. I was 4 at the time. My parents kept me from knowing most of what was going on. I knew it was bad. (Looks at Stillman) My mother refused to let you speak with me.
Stillman: Would it have helped?
Chelsea: No. Thing is I was telling you the most important thing and I never realized it.
Lilly: What do you mean?
Chelsea: The tooth fairy came to visit me that night.
Stillman: I remember you kept repeating that.
Chelsea: You see, mom and dad laughed it off. I believed in all that stuff. Lisa was probably the one who put the quarter under my pillow. But the thing is I wasn’t making it up or imagining it.
Lilly: I don’t follow.
Chelsea: I always remembered what the tooth fairy looked like. As I grew older, I learned more about hair styles and fads from the early 1980s. Feathered hair was still big. Flashy clothes. This girl had all of it. She must have been desperately trying to live out the ‘70s before the next cool thing happened. She was blonde. She was wearing something blue. She was fixed up to be pretty. At the time I thought it was the tooth fairy. Now, I realize it was just a teenage girl. She came right through the window. She thought I was asleep.
Lilly: Are you sure?
Chelsea: I’m positive. Like I said. I thought it was the tooth fairy. Eventually, I went back to sleep.
Lilly: Did you see this girl again after that?
Chelsea: No. (Begins to cry)
Lilly: It’s okay. (Hands her a tissue)
Chelsea: Thing is my parents never told me what really happened until I was 13. I knew Lisa was killed, but they tried so hard to keep me from finding out. By then, I realized the truth. I never knew how important such details were until you hit the papers, Detective. Also, I think Lisa saved my life.
Lilly: How so?
Chelsea: She wouldn’t have let someone get the close to her without screaming. That might have woken me up. I might have been killed too.
Lilly: You weren’t. And you’re here now. And there’s no time like the present.

OPENING CREDITS

[r2k]

Down in the cold case box room.

Lilly: Lisa Trezac, age 17, found strangled at the Hunt residence. One possible witness, Chelsea Hunt, age 4, was never questioned. Mother’s request.
Scotty: Think she has something to hide.
Lilly: Perhaps she was protecting Chelsea. Not that I can relate. My mother never bothered to hire a sitter, let alone shield me from any pain whatsoever. Seems to me protecting Chelsea did more harm than good. A killer escaped. Chelsea was ID’ing the killer right in front of everyone.
Scotty: Then, Mom decides to tell all at 13.
Lilly: Like young teens don’t have enough problems. For years, Chelsea has been carrying this inside her.
Scotty: Are we sure this is even legit.
Stillman: She had a quarter in her hand. Her mother said she had an overactive imagination. Besides she never described the tooth fairy at the time.
Lilly: Well, if she had seen anything, she would have been terrified. Wonder if mom and dad know she was coming here.
Scotty: Let’s find out.

THE HUNT RESIDENCE. The house flashes back to what it looked like in 1980.

Lilly and Scotty knock on the door. Chelsea’s mother, Karen, answers the door. She is 54 with light brown hair graying a bit but not too much. Her image flashes back to 1980. Her hair is light brown and cut shorter.

Karen: May I help you?
Lilly: Detective Rush. This is my partner, Detective Valens. We’d like to ask you some questions about Lisa Trezac.
Karen: There’s a name I’d like to forget.
Lilly: Why’s that?
Karen: We couldn’t get a babysitter after that. The house was cursed. It was a few months before we could get anyone. Chelsea talked to you.
Lilly: She was in this morning.
Karen: I wanted to protect her. She and Lisa became quite attached. Chelsea was a difficult toddler. We worried for the first three years. Then, Lisa came along. Tom and I were a typical couple. He worked and I played housewife. Once a week, we got away for the evening. Lisa was our hero.
Lilly: Did you notice anything strange about Lisa the night she was killed?
Karen: No. She was the same as she always was. Lisa was one of those people who I’m sure ever cried. Not that she was cold. She just seemed so happy. I never thought it was possible for her to cry. She was her usual self. There was something different. She had a boyfriend. He dropped her off. Before then, she walked over. That night, she was dropped off.

FLASHBACK TO 1980. “Lost in Love” by Air Supply is playing in the background. Tom and Karen are dressed and ready to leave. The doorbell rings.

Tom: Chelsea, could you get the door, its Lisa.
Chelsea: Lisa, Lisa, Lisa!!!
Tom (to Karen): I like this babysitter. She’s prompt. Not like the last one.
Karen: Chelsea seems to like her.
Karen watches as Chelsea opens the door. Lisa walks in as a car pulls away.
Karen (to Lisa): Good evening.
Chelsea grabs hold of Lisa and hugs her.
Chelsea: I’ve got my dolls set up in there (points to the living room). Come on.
Lisa: In a minute. I’m going to talk to your mom a second.
Karen: Well, you’ve got a night ahead of you. Chelsea lost another tooth and she’s determined to see the tooth fairy.
Lisa: Please don’t tell me you have a fairy outfit ready for me.
Karen: Nothing like that. I left a quarter in the bathroom cabinet. When she falls asleep, put it under her pillow.

BACK TO THE PRESENT
Lilly: Did you catch his name?
Karen: No, I didn’t. Sorry. I didn’t ask. Felt it was none of my business. Tom and I were in a hurry. Reservations. Besides, she died before I could ever find out. But you could ask her parents. They still live in the same house. Its a few blocks away. I think they’ll talk to you. Lisa’s mother will. She loves to talk about Lisa. Prepare to be there a while. Lisa was her purpose. How she moved on was amazing.
Lilly: Thanks for the heads up.

A FEW BLOCKS AWAY AT THE TREZAC HOUSE

A woman is out front raking leaves. Her husband comes out the front door. Lilly and Scotty approach her.

Lilly: Mrs. Trezac?
Janet: Call me Jan. Everyone does.
Lilly: Detective Rush. This is my partner, Detective Valens.
Janet: (Whispers to Lilly) He’s cute.
Scotty blushes.
Lilly: Hadn’t noticed. (Lilly sounds sarcastic when she says this)
Janet: You’re here about Lisa. I know this because there isn’t a reason for the police to be here if it weren’t about Lisa. (Janet’s husband, Ryan, comes up and puts his arm around her)
Ryan: Lisa was a good girl. Never caused any trouble. Worked hard at everything.
Janet: She was able to get straight A’s and hold her babysitting jobs. She was beautiful. I like to think she is still around, watching over me. Making sure I don’t get sad about it. It’s hard sometimes. She was my only child. We lost our oldest son in a car crash. That was back in 1970. He was only 10. Lisa became the world to me. When she was killed, I couldn’t believe it. I can still remember when the police came.

FLASHBACK TO 1980
The police knock on the Trezac’s door. Janet answers.
Janet: Yes.
Police officer: Are you Mrs. Trezac?
Janet: Yes. Janet Trezac. Is there a problem. Lisa! Is she okay?
Police officer: May we come in.
(Ryan comes to the door.)
Ryan: Come in. What’s wrong?
Police officer: I don’t know how to tell you this.
(Ryan grabs hold of Janet)
Ryan: What happened to our daughter?
Police officer: Someone strangled her. Happened at the Hunt’s house.
Janet: Oh no! My little girl. Noooooo!
(Janet falls to the floor. Ryan tries to get her up but stops. He realizes it is best to let her cry. She suddenly gets up)
Janet: Chelsea. Is Chelsea alright.
Police officer: Yes. She slept through it. Never knew what happened. Still doesn’t.
Janet: No!!!!! Lisa. Lisa.

PRESENT

Janet: There was so much grief and anger. What got me through it was knowing Chelsea was okay. She was only 4. That really would have been a tragedy. I’ve learned to accept what happened to Lisa. But if anything had happened to Chelsea.
Lilly: We may have a new lead. Chelsea has come forward with something.
Janet: What could she possibly know?
Lilly: We’re not sure. She thought she saw the tooth fairy that night. Now she realizes it may have been a real person. Definitely female. We’re not sure who. What we really wanted to ask you was about the new boyfriend?
Janet: Kyle. They had just met a week earlier. Nice boy. Never knew what hit him. He tried to be crushed on the outside. He just wasn’t with her long enough to have been heartbroken. He was more like a deer caught in headlights. He was at the funeral and felt so out of place. He was meeting relatives that he should have met later but knew would never see again. I felt he could have been the one. Lisa didn’t date much and was picky about who she wanted to go out with. Kyle was a good boy. We didn’t meet him until after she died. I never really got to know him. You might want to talk to Lisa’s friend, Kelly Sharp. I think she’s married now. Her last name is Peterson. I remember the wedding announcement. She didn’t have a maid of honor. In memory of Lisa, she left the spot blank.

[r2k]

(Lilly and Scotty leave the house)
Lilly: Kelly must be some kind of friend to sacrifice such an important part of the most memorable day of her life.
Scotty: Perhaps we should go to her before Kyle.
Lilly: Good call.
Lilly and Scotty arrive at Wilson Elementary School. They are waiting at the office when a 41 year old woman walks into the office. Her hair is blonde. Lilly remembers Chelsea talking about a blonde. Her images flashes back to the 17 year old she was in 1980 and then back again to the present image.
Kelly: Kelly Peterson. May I help you?
Lilly: Yes. Detective Rush. This is Detective Valens. We’d like to talk about Lisa.
Kelly: (Pauses.)
A few minutes later, they are all in her classroom. Kelly teaches third grade.
Kelly: Lisa and I had been friends since Kindergarten. We never let the times change us. We were going to be teachers together. Our dream was to work in the same grade. See that room across the hall.
Lilly and Scotty look.
Scotty: That room.
Kelly: Yes. That was supposed to be her room. Sounds crazy. Who knows if that’s what was going to be.
Lilly: It’s what you both planned. Nothing wrong with that.
Scotty: Do you know of anyone who would have wanted to hurt her?
Kelly: There was a girl. She dated Kyle before Lisa. Her name was Sharon. Between you and me. The girl was a b*tch. She had to have everyone. Kyle dated her but never wanted to have sex right away. Sharon was a slut. He left. Sharon did not give up that easily.
Lilly: Is this the kind of girl who might kill someone?
Kelly: I couldn’t have told you then. But given what has gone on in the world since, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
Lilly: What color was Sharon’s hair?
Kelly: Blonde. She bleached it back then. She looked like a big tramp.
Scotty: Was it just you and Lisa. Or were there other girls in the group?
Kelly: We were friends with Ashley. Lisa and Ashley were the babysitters. I was the life guard. Those two made out like bandits. Ashley Jones. She’s married now. Became the perfect housewife. I see her every now and then. We never talk about Lisa.
Lilly: What was Kyle’s last name?
Kelly: Farris. Kyle Farris. He was kind of shy. Afraid to ask Lisa. He was cute. All the girls liked him. Lisa never gave him much thought before he came up with the courage to ask her out. And Sharon. Her last name was Larson. Married. Five times. Two of those ex-husbands died in accidents.
Lilly: That is a coincidence.
Kelly: Word is she was a big tramp. Double standard. She could, they couldn’t. Rumor has it she killed them both. Promise me that whatever you do find, I don’t want to see that b*tch unless she’s the one.
Lilly: Request noted.


BACK AT THE STATION

Lilly: Okay. We have a little girl who can ID a blonde teenager.
Scotty: Problem is, Kelly and Sharon are apparently blonde.
Lilly: And Kelly left her maid of honor spot vacant. The cries out possible guilt.
Stillman: Talked to this Ashley girl yet?
Lilly: No, she and Kyle are the next in line. I just get this feeling we’re going to overlook something obvious.
Scotty: That’s why we’re a team. What one misses, the other catches.
Stillman: Let’s split up. Lilly, Scott, go see Kyle. I’ll send Vera to talk to Sharon. Will and I will go talk to Ashley. She wanted so much to help the first time.

LILLY AND SCOTTY ARE IN AN OFFICE AT AN ELECTRONICS SUPERSTORE

Kyle (images of then and now flash): Lisa and I could have been something great. It took me three months to work up the nerve to ask her out. One week into it, she is killed. I felt so bad that I didn’t feel sad. Police thought it was strange.
Lilly: Did you have an alibi?
Kyle: Of course. I worked at the Pizza Hut. That was the big hang out in our neck of the woods. Police still pushed for me to be the guilty one. Boyfriends usually are. My boss finally had it out with the detectives. A large group of people who could vouch for me came forward together and told them to leave me alone.
Lilly: Did Sharon Larson hang out there too?
Kyle: She hung out pretty much anywhere a boy would do her.
Scotty: Thing that gets me is, we’ve heard you weren’t into a physical relationship. Didn’t you kind of see that coming with Sharon. You dated her. Kelly told us.
Kyle: What’s your point? Look, I thought Sharon would respect my wanting to wait a little. My older brother knocked up his girlfriend and nearly ruined his life. Until he realized he ended up with a great family. I had enough to worry about without a kid.
Lilly: How long did it last?
Kyle: 2 weeks. She never got over it. I was the one cute guy she never had.
Scotty: So she probably didn’t like it when Lisa replaced her.
Kyle: So to speak. That was evident that night at work.

FLASHBACK TO 1980 “Don’t Do Me Like That” by Tom Petty plays in the background.
Sharon: Hey cutie. Here you got a new girlfriend. Lisa, right.
Kyle: Don’t play dumb. You know damn well who I’m with now.
Sharon: Such a waist of a cute body. I know what to do with it. Lisa spends too much time with children anyway.
Kyle: Shut up. Lisa at least does something constructive with her spare time.
Sharon: If you call playing with dolls constructive.
Kyle: Certainly beats the boy toys you’ve mangled along the way.
(Ashley walks up.)
Ashley: Kyle, I’m going on break.
Kyle: Gotcha. Now Sharon, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to work. You know, a job. A real job.
Sharon: Pathetic. Work work work. All you losers ever do. Work is for losers.
Kyle: Especially for those who don’t get paid after, huh.
(Sharon gives Kyle a dirty look)

RETURN TO PRESENT
Kyle: She was so mean to Lisa and every working teenager that night.
Lilly: Wait. Ashley worked there. I thought she was a babysitter.
Kyle: She did a little. I know she used to babysit a lot.

[r2k]

VERA IS INSIDE A LARGE HOUSE IN A WEALTHY NEIGHBORHOOD. HE IS TALKING TO SHARON, HER IMAGE FLASHES BACK TO 1980.

Sharon: That is ridiculous. Why would I murder her?
Vera: Kelly seemed to believe you might.
Sharon: She failed to mention that she wanted Kyle too. Kyle ended up asking Lisa instead.
Vera: You seem to know it all. Except who killed Lisa.
Sharon: You’re basing your entire case on the memory of girl who was 4 at the time of the murder. You must be joking.
Vera: Thing is, no one took this little girl seriously at the time. And we never ignore anything.
Sharon: Like last year’s double murder. You obviously overlooked a few details there.
Vera: Here’s the thing sweetheart. A woman remembers a 17 year old girl fitting your description coming through her bedroom window. What you need to remember is, where you were that night.
Sharon: I can tell you that. The Pizza Hut. I was kind of wild and crazy back then.
Vera: And five husbands later, you’ve finally settled down with (pauses and looks around) nobody.
Sharon: You know. I think we’re done here. You can go now. And don’t back. Oh, Detective. Remember this, I didn’t kill Lisa. I may have been a slut in my high school days, but I’m not that vicious. I like to spread the misery out several years. If I really wanted to hurt Lisa, I would have thought of something more elaborate than strangling her.

JEFFRIES AND STILLMAN ARE SITTING IN THE KITCHEN AT ASHLEY’S. HER HUSBAND IS AT WORK. HER IMAGE FLASHES AS SHE HANDS EACH A CUP OF COFFEE.

Ashley: Lisa was a great friend. I moved here from Ohio in fifth grade. We connected immediately. I still can’t believe she is dead. Couldn’t believe it when I (pauses and begins to cry).
Stillman: There was nothing you could do about it.
Ashley: Poor Chelsea. She had to learn the truth eventually. Her mother should have told her.
Jeffries: Do you know if anyone might have hurt Lisa?
Ashley: I can’t imagine anyone wanting to kill her at all. But then again, what real reason do most people have for killing these days. Why would 24 years ago be any different. Sharon wasn’t too happy when her boyfriend dumped her and started dating Lisa. There was a period of time she was nowhere to be seen. Right around when Lisa was supposedly killed. Don’t worry. The timeline was pretty much leaked to all of us. It doesn’t take a genius to figure it out.
Stillman: What do you mean by that?
Ashley: I babysat for Chelsea a few times early on. She was in bed by 7 sharp. It took about an hour for Chelsea to fall asleep. Lisa was murdered after 8. Sharon left the Pizza Hut at 7:30. Thing is, she never leaves without a boy. All the boys willing to do her were still there.

FLASHBACK TO 1980 “Call Me” By Blondie plays in the background
Sharon is hanging with her cheerleader friends.
Sharon: Kyle is so hot.
Linda: Forget him. He’s with Lisa.
Sharon: Lisa the babysitter. You know what. I feel like playing a little game with the babysitter. A scary game. One she’ll never forget.
Andrea: You are crazy.
Sharon: Would I be any other way.
(Sharon gets and walks past Kyle. She winks at him and walks by. She continues out the door where the boys are hanging out.)

BACK IN THE PRESENT
Ashley: I didn’t see her for the rest of the night.
Jeffries: And all the horny teenage boys were accounted for.
Ashley: I might have missed one or two. To my knowledge the guys were all there. Most of them hit on me. Typical. You would think their mothers would have taught them better. I’m lucky I found the right one.

BACK AT THE POLICE STATION
Lilly: Kyle has an alibi. Although we found something interesting. Ashley worked there also. According to Kelly, she was a babysitter.
Stillman: She confirmed that right up. She claims Sharon disappeared at 7:30 and never came back the whole night.
Vera: Sharon clammed up after a few minutes. It was like she was offended for even being considered a suspect. She insists she is innocent.
Stillman: Let’s bring her in. Ashley seems convinced Sharon was gone. It is also possible a boy went with her.
Scotty: But Chelsea only saw a girl come in the window.
Lilly: It’s easier for a girl to get in. She could have let a boy in the door.
Stillman: Ashley overheard Sharon saying something about getting even with Lisa for stealing her boyfriend.

[r2k]

INTERROGATION ROOM. SHARON IS SITTING IN THERE WITH LILLY
Lilly: Are you comfortable?
Sharon: I’m always comfortable missy.
Lilly: You say you’d never kill Lisa, but you hated her.
Sharon: Of course. She took Kyle away from me.
Lilly: Kyle left you before Lisa entered the picture. So, she didn’t steal you away.
Sharon: Are you going somewhere with this because I am tired?
Lilly: I always get where I want, eventually.
Sharon: There’s nothing that can place me at the house and you know it.
Lilly: Maybe not now, but we’ll find out soon.
Sharon: Lisa was killed 24 years ago. You’re not going to find anything after all these years.
Lilly: (Looks at Sharon with delight) You’ve just given me a new direction.
Sharon: Really. What is it?
Lilly: You see, evidence left at a scene decades earlier could still be there. Perhaps you’ve left something behind. Whatever it is, I’m going to find it. And when I do, you can spend some time in the women’s correctional facility while the boy you brought with you can be Bubba’s own personal tooth fairy.
Sharon: Boy?
Lilly: Of course. The marks on Lisa’s neck were made by a male. I’m thinking you must have put one of your stupid teenage football scholarship idiots up to it.
Sharon: Why would I put a boy up to it?
Lilly: Maybe you didn’t want to break a nail. What did you promise your dream guy? Did you deliver on your promise?
Sharon: I’m done here. You want to talk to me again, talk to my lawyer.

LATER, AFTER SHARON HAS LEFT.
Lilly: Sharon became nervous when I figured that some clue might still be there. Clearly, she left something behind at the scene and it is still there because there was nothing in the box to link her to the murder.
Scotty: Let’s go back to Chelsea’s house. Maybe it is still there.

AT CHELSEA’S HOUSE, LILLY AND SCOTTY ARE IN THE FRONT YARD. CHELSEA IS THERE ALONG WITH HER PARENTS.
Chelsea: It’s weird reenacting that night.
Lilly: Try to remember as best as you can what happened.
Chelsea: I went to bed. I’m going to go up there by the window. It’s in the back.
Lilly: No one could catch a glimpse. And at night with no lights on.
Scotty: It would be pretty easy.
Lilly and Scotty go inside.
Lilly looks at the stairway.
Lilly: Lisa would have seen Sharon coming down the stairs.
Scotty: You think Lisa might have been somewhere else in the house.
Lilly: It’s possible she could have gone to the washroom. Karen, when did you and your husband arrive home.
Karen: About 10:30. Police estimated Lisa had been dead for about an hour and a half.
Scotty: That would put the murder at 9:00.
Lilly: Chelsea was fast asleep by then. Whoever this tooth fairy is must have been in the house for a while. Waiting for a chance to sneak downstairs. She probably let the boy in. He killed her and the girl watched. Who have we got on the suspect list so far?
Scotty: Sharon is number one.
Lilly: I have an idea. I’ll be back.
Scotty: Where are you going?
Lilly: Lisa’s parents.
LILLY COMES BACK WITH A YEARBOOK
INSIDE, CHELSEA IS LOOKING AT PHOTOS OF THE SENIOR CLASS.
CHELSEA STOPS AT THE PICTURE OF LISA.
Chelsea: It’s weird to see her again. Mom didn’t want me to go to the funeral. She’s pretty. (CHELSEA STARTS TO CRY. HER IMAGE FLASHES TO THAT OF A FOUR YEAR OLD) For years I was angry for not knowing the full story. Mom, I’m sorry I was mad at you. I know now you did it to protect me.
KAREN HUGS CHELSEA. BOTH IMAGES FLASH BACK AS THEY HUG.
Chelsea: I love you and I’m glad you weren’t hurt. We all could have been killed. Lisa saved us by not screaming. She died so I could live. I’ll never be able to thank her for it, ever.
Lilly: Helping to find her killer is thanks enough. And wherever she is, she knows that. She loved you like a daughter. That was her job.
Chelsea: Oh my goodness.
Lilly: What?
Chelsea: I just realized. I know who the tooth fairy is. I remember her. She was in the house. She’d been in the house before. We knew her.
Karen: Who, baby. Who?
Chelsea: I don’t remember.
LILLY LOOKS AT HER AND SUDDENLY REALIZES SOMETHING AND GRABS THE YEARBOOK. SHE FLIPS THE PAGES AND SHOWS CHELSEA A PICTURE.
Lilly: Is this her?
Chelsea: YES!! That’s her. That’s the one.
Scotty: That’s Ashley Jones.
Lilly: That is.

[r2k]

AT THE POLICE STATION. ASHLEY IS IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM. LILLY AND SCOTTY ARE WITH HER.
Ashley: I didn’t kill Lisa. We were good friends.
Lilly: Friends kill each other, Ashley. Or haven’t you kept with police news.
Ashley: Sharon did it.
Lilly: Give it up, Ashley. Chelsea ID’d you from a yearbook. You were the one. Besides, Kyle gave you away without realizing it. He said you went on break.
Scotty: Now all we have to do is find the boy who actually killed Lisa. He seems to be hard to identify.
Lilly: You mentioned the boys hit on you as well. Maybe you took one up on the offer. For a little something in return.
Scotty: Like murdering a friend.
Lilly: Or a rival.
Ashley: What?
Lilly: of course. We know you used to babysit for Chelsea. What went wrong?
Ashley: Nothing. I wanted a job with a steady paycheck.
Lilly: Had nothing to do with you stealing jewelry.
Ashley: I never stole anything.
Lilly: The minute Chelsea ID’d you, her mother told me what happened. Don’t insult my intelligence.
Ashley: (Starts to cry. Buries her head.) What have I done to her? It’s my fault.
Lilly: Tell me what happened?
Ashley: Wait, you think I’m talking about Lisa. I’m talking about Chelsea.

LILLY AND SCOTTY LOOK AT EACH OTHER PUZZLED.
Scotty: What do you mean by that?
Ashley: Chelsea didn’t see the tooth fairy. She saw me.

FLASHBACK TO 1980. CHELSEA’S HOUSE. A FEW MONTHS EARLIER.
KAREN AND TOM ARRIVE AT HOME AT 10:27 P.M.
“Ride Like the Wind” by Christopher Cross plays in the background
Ashley: You’re home early.
Karen: We were tired. Is Chelsea alright?
Ashley: Been asleep for hours. Actually got tired early herself.
Karen: I’m going to check on her.
(Karen goes upstairs)
Tom: You do a good job.
Ashley: Thanks, Mr. Hunt.
Tom: You know, if you’re interested, I may have some other work for you.
Ashley: You have another child I don’t know about.
Tom: No, funny though. Actually, this job is at my office.
(Tom walks slowly toward Ashley.)
Tom: This job is a little more fun.
Ashley: (Looks shocked and scared. She turns around and walks the other way but stays in the living room.) I’m not interested.
Tom: Come on.
Ashley: (Angrily) I’m not interested.
Tom: Okay Okay, quiet down.
KAREN COMES DOWN THE STAIRS.
Karen: Ashley, my diamond earrings are missing.
Ashley: What? I have no idea about those.
Karen: You were instructed never to go in there.
Ashley: I didn’t go in there.
Tom: Is this true? Have you been stealing from us?
Ashley: No honest. I have no idea what happened.
Tom: You need to go home now. We will not be calling you back.
FLASHBACK TO THE PRESENT
Ashley: That was the worst ten minutes of my life.
Lilly: Why didn’t you tell the police this?
Ashley: I was scared. I never mentioned any of this to my boss at Pizza Hut. He would have fired me if this got out.
Scotty: Yet, it was worth preventing police from ever learning who killed your close friend.
Lilly: Ashley, you were in the house the night Lisa was killed. What happened?
Ashley: (Crying. Image flashes to 17 years old) I don’t know what happened. I wanted to stop Sharon from doing whatever she was doing.

FLASHBACK TO 1980
Ashley: Kyle, I’m going on break.
Kyle: Gotcha. Now Sharon, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to work. You know, a job. A real job.
(Ashley looks at Sharon, worried. She sneaks out the back door.)
ASHLEY ARRIVES AT THE HUNT HOUSE. SHE SEES MR. HUNT’S CAR DRIVE AWAY. ASHLEY KNOCKS AT THE DOOR. THERE IS NO ANSWER. SHE KNOCKS AGAIN. STILL NO ANSWER. SHE CALLS OUT TO LISA. SHE CLIMBS UP THE WINDOW AND ENTERS THROUGH CHESLEA’S ROOM, THE ONLY ONE OPEN. SHE IS QUIET AND DOESN’T KNOW CHELSEA IS STILL AWAKE. SHE SLIPS OUT THE BEDROOM AND INTO THE UPSTAIRS HALLWAY. SHE GOES DOWNSTAIRS AND SEES LISA DEAD ON THE COUCH.
Ashley: (Quietly crying) Lisa. No. Lisa. He killed you. You said no. You said no. Good girl. But you’re dead. Why?
BACK TO THE PRESENT
Ashley: Chelsea’s father did it. I’m sure of it. I was afraid of him. I was lucky her mother was there. I might have been killed too.
Lilly: Was Sharon ever there?
Ashley: No. I never saw her. She never showed up.

ASHLEY IS STILL IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM
Lilly: It’s clear Ashley didn’t kill her.
Vera: Sounds like dear old dad choked the girl. Sharon was all talk.
Lilly: Sharon probably shacked up with some jock. Everything Ashley said seems to fit.
Jeffries: Makes sense. He tries to seduce one girl. Doesn’t work out. Moves on to number two and gets frustrated.
Scotty: Something doesn’t add up. The stealing of jewelry. If Ashley didn’t do it, who did?
Stillman: That’s a good question.
Lilly: Ashley wouldn’t have stolen it. She made enough money. Besides, we checked with some other parents she babysat for and they never any problems with her. One thing stands out as funny.
Stillman: What?
Lilly: She stole some valuable jewelry from this couple. And they never mentioned it to the other parents. Ashley ends up quitting babysitting because she feared the parents would hear of it. But they never said anything. Kyle said she still babysat a little. If I were a parent and a babysitter stole from me, I’d let any parent I knew hear of it.
Scotty: Chelsea’s mom knows something. She clearly would have mentioned this to the other mothers. Plus, Ashley recalled that the mother was going to check on Chelsea. She didn’t have time to notice those earrings were gone.

[r2k]

KAREN IS IN THE INTERROGATION ROOM. HER HUSBAND IS IN ANOTHER.
Lilly: Karen, you lied to us. You didn’t notice the earrings were stolen. You stole them yourself.
Karen: That’s ridiculous.
Lilly: Karen. We know you didn’t kill Lisa. But we know you know something. Now, your daughter has been haunted by this for years. Do the right thing. Do it for Lisa, do it for yourself. Most of all, do it for Chelsea so she can move on with her life.
Karen: I never wanted to believe it. That he was capable of cheating on me, but with a teenage girl. Ashley was so young. And she wanted nothing to do with him. This time, Tom wasn’t as patient. He didn’t wait long enough. I wasn’t even in Chelsea’s room when he made his move in Ashley. I had to hear him try to take advantage of that girl. I hid the earrings to protect her.
Lilly: Why to protect her. Has he done this before?
Karen: No one ever suspected him. But I knew. That’s why we moved. He said it was a good job opportunity, but I knew the truth and the truth was he killed her.
Lilly: Killed who?
Karen: Laurie. Not in the house, like Lisa. He made it look like an accident. But this time, he did it in our home. He couldn’t get to Ashley so he went for Lisa. Lisa was the unlucky girl to reject him.
Lilly: Was he at dinner the whole night.
Karen: We had a fight. He left the restaurant. I was afraid he would be found not guilty and come after Chelsea and me later. I don’t know where he went that night but he came back to pick me up and apologized.
Lilly: Did he have enough time to go to the house and kill Chelsea?
Karen: (Pauses, looks at Lilly slowly) Yes. He could have.

IN THE OTHER INTERROGATION ROOM, SCOTTY AND VERA ARE WORKING ON TOM)
Tom: Why are my wife and I now being picked on. Why would we endanger our daughter.
Vera: Please, kill your daughter. Maybe in a couple of years when she was old enough.
Scotty: Tell me, dad, would you have made a move on her. You’ve gone for every other piece of teenage ass in this story. Did Lisa not take the bait. Ashley didn’t. Lucky for Ashley, there was a witness awake to see if a murder could happen. But with Lisa, no one was there to see.
Lilly: But someone is able to confirm his alibi is a crock. Seems you and the misses had a little tiff.
Tom: Couples argue.
Lilly: But you left your wife without a ride at a restaurant. For about two hours. Where did you go?
Tom: Driving around.
Lilly: Thing is, we found the tooth fairy. Ashley. She told us what you did. Your wife was the key player in this story. Ashley never stole the earrings. Your wife made it up to get her out of the house forever so you wouldn’t kill her. Like you killed Laurie.
Tom: What?
Lilly: Am I hitting the nail right on the wall Tommy Boy. Lisa said no and you killed her.
Tom: I did not.
Lilly: (Gets serious.) Your own daughter has been confused for years about this. If you can’t come clean now, she’ll know. Her mother will tell her. She’ll never speak to you again.
TOM PAUSES AND BURIES HIS HEAD.
Tom: I love my little girl. I would never do that to her. I would never do to her what I tried to do to those girls. Karen became frigid. She wasn’t, you know.
Lilly: So you tried to get it from teenage girls.
Tom: I was going crazy. They were right there. Who knows what I was thinking. Laurie was easy to off. She was shy. Never talked much to people. I never imagined Karen suspected me. She hid it well. Ashley was lucky. Lisa was the one. Everything went wrong.
FLASHBACK TO 1980
Chelsea is in bed asleep. Lisa is sitting in the living room reading. Tom comes in the back yard.
Lisa: I didn’t hear you come in.
Tom: I didn’t want to startle you.
Lisa: Are you okay?
Tom: Karen and I had a fight. I left her at the restaurant.
Lisa: What! You need to go back to her. Now.
Tom: Why. Our relationship is dead, the marriage is dead. Has been for years.
Lisa: You both seem so happy.
Tom: I don’t want to be alone now. (Approaches Lisa, who appears uncomfortable.
Lisa: What are you doing?
Tom: We could be great together.
Lisa: What are you talking about?
Tom: (Angry) You going to do the same thing Ashley did. Nothing. Shhhhh. No one has to know.
Lisa: But I’ll know and that’s enough.
LISA SLAPS TOM IN THE FACE. HE MOVES BACK, LOOKS AT HER AND GETS ANGRY. TOM GRABS HER NECK AND BEGINS CHOKING HER. SHE WASN’T ABLE TO LET OUT A SCREAM. HE LETS GO AND SHE FALL ONTO THE COUCH. HE FIXES HIS TIE AND WALKS OUT THE BACK DOOR AND GETS IN HIS CAR. ASHLEY WALKS UP AND SEES HIM.

“Magic” by Olivia Newton John plays in the background as Tom is being arrested. He is taken out of the interrogation room. His wife watches as he is taken away. He stops to look at her and he begins to cry. So does she as she wishes she had been better wife. Lilly looks on as Ashley comes in and sees. Karen hugs Ashley. Both images flashback together as they hug. Tom looks at her, crying. Chelsea begins to cry as Tom is led away.
Chelsea’s parents rake the leaves in the yard. Lilly tells them what really happened.
Kelly is in her classroom with the kids. She looks at the room across. The image of the door changes to what it might have looked like had Lisa lived and was actually teaching there, like she and Kelly planned. Ashley walks in. The two hug and sit down to talk. They laugh as they look at pictures of them with Lisa.
Kyle watches a news report on the case while at work. His image flashes. Sharon comes in to say hello. She smiles at him and they begin to talk. There is no relationship forming, but maybe a friendship.
Lilly visits Chelsea at her parents’ house. Chelsea cries but is finally relieved. Lilly walks to the car to see Chelsea go back into the house. Lisa is standing at the front door, waiting for Chelsea to come in. Chelsea as a 4 year old runs up to the door. Her image fades as she laughs and walks into the house. Lilly gets into the car and drives off.

THE END

[Ryebeach]

Well done R2k. Your story certainly read like a CC ep. Great characters and nice plot twists also.

I hope you'll do another.

[Tati]

This was really good R2K. One of the best CC fics I've read. Congratulations. :thumb:

[TVFan]

Great job R2K! I look forward to any future fics you do.

[Trublu]

Awesome job R2K. Unpredictable, and lovely writing. :clap:

[michelle]

You imitated the cold case format very well, with your music choices and flashes from present to past. I didn't suspect the dad at all, until near the end. Looking forward to reading the others. I don't know how you came up with so many plots!

[r2k]

Michelle: I went with the trick of making it look like it was a teenage acquaintance and then pulling the twist near the end. I had almost forgotten that I didn't have a coming attraction for the next fan fic here. Future fan fics had upcoming spoilers. Just to let you know, some fan fics are longer than others. It depended on how much time I had. Some fan fics went really well while others went okay.

[jambled]

Hey R2K great story line. Wish I could come up with case fics like this! Good twist, and nice flashbacks. And I remember Air Supply and Olivia Newton John; I feel so old lol!