14. Mommy Dearest

[r2k]

Here’s the latest fan fic episode. I decided to make this one a little out there and strange. Definitely some good twists in this one.

Mommy Dearest

When a decomposed body found by hunters is identified as a middle-aged woman from Michigan who went missing in 1999, Rush and Valens investigate the case to determine how she got to Philly, and what happened when she got there. As Rush digs deeper, she learns that the woman was not always pleasant to be around. She also had a son who disappeared a year earlier. A search begins for her missing son, who may still be alive and possibly responsible for her murder.

Opening Scene
June 23, 1998. “One Week” by the Barenaked Ladies plays in the background. In Kalamazoo, Michigan, a family is having a get together. There is a middle-aged couple with two sons. One son has a girl with him. An old woman is there with another middle-aged woman.
Ellen: Let’s have dinner. Smells good.
Leslie: Who catered it?
Ellen: The grocery store. They have excellent food there. Anything you want, they can make it.
Janet: Now girls, stop trying to outdo each other. You both put on great dinner parties.
Ellen: But you must have a favorite. So, Josh, you and Kathy ready for the wedding next month?
Josh: Just about. Just have to make the final arrangements.
Ellen: I can’t believe we’re going to have the wedding in Mexico. Tell me about this place?
Kathy: Well, it’s a hotel just south of the border in Baja Mexico. But there’s this balcony overlooking the ocean. That’s where the wedding will take place. I brought pictures. We can look at them later.
Ellen: I’d love it.
-Ellen’s other son, Martin, speaks.
Martin: I have job interview next week.
Ellen: (ignoring Martin) So tell me Kathy, what does the house in San Diego look like.
-Kathy answers while Martin makes an angry, yet quiet look on his face. Leslie, Ellen’s sister and Martin’s aunt notices.
Kathy: There are three bedrooms, two baths. No basement. Large living room. Beautiful. We were lucky to get it.
Leslie: Martin, tell us about the interview.
Martin: Well, it’s with the Griller’s restaurant chain. Manager. They need a regular manager soon and they were pretty interested in meeting with me. It’s the one nearby.
Leslie: Well that must be exciting.
-Ellen changes the subject again.
Ellen: So Josh, are you nervous about the big day?
-Josh sort of pauses, aware that Ellen is completely ignoring Martin. He then speaks, wanting to avoid an unpleasant scene.
Josh: Not really. Kathy and I are very happy together.
Kathy: I love this man.
-Josh and Kathy kiss.
Ellen: I propose a toast, to Josh and Kathy. May they be happy like my Stan and I are.
-Martin barely raises his glass. He had an angry look on his face.
Ellen: What’s wrong, Martin?
Martin: (Looking at her like he’s going to kill her) Nothing.
Ellen: Then we’re all good here. That’s what we like. A happy family. Cheers!

-Later, in a wooded area by a marsh, Ellen’s body lays in the water. She has been shot in the head. Meanwhile, in Michigan, Ellen’s box is being placed in the missing person’s files.

Parker, E.
Oct. ‘99

-In the present. Lily and Scotty are driving up to a wooded area. They get out of the car. Stillman is waiting for them.
Lily: Hey boss. What have we got?
Stillman: Body. Woman, middle-aged. Jeffries is locating her home state.
Lily: Home state.
Stillman: She’s not from here. Found a coupon in the pocket. Was sealed up with some others. Didn’t match any store names around here. Most of her body has decomposed. Most of her clothing was intact so she couldn’t have been here for too long. Hunters found her. They’re over here.
-Lily walks over to them. There are four of them.
Lily: Detective Rush. Boss tells me you guys discovered the body.
Harry Carson: My oldest son found him. Or her?
Lily: We can safely say it’s a woman.
-Harry’s son, Jeff, notices how pretty Lily is and makes a move.
Jeff Carson: Jeff Carson, nice to meet you. (He is obviously interested in her)
Lily: (Shaking his hand.) Nice to meet you too. You can let go of my hand now.
Jeff: Sorry. (He lets go with a big grin on his face.)
Lily: You’re the one who found her.
Jeff: Sure did. Right by the edge of that marsh over there.
-Lily looks over by an old canoe.
Harry: Not many people come out here. We come around here a lot but rarely venture out this far.
Lily: And she was laying right there.
Jeff: Yeah. Strange.
Stillman: The woman has a bullet hole in her forehead. Someone might have brought her out here and shot her. The coupon is from a store called Mailer’s.
-One of the other men interrupt.
Eric: I know that place. It’s a supermarket chain.
Stillman: You know where?
Eric: That’s what is so strange. It’s not from around here. It’s from the Midwest. I believe the chain originated in Michigan. I saw the store on a business trip out there a few months ago. They have a whole bunch of them. It’s like our Superbag chains we have here.
Stillman: Thanks a lot son.
Harry: I’m sorry, this is my son-in-law, Eric Watts. Married my daughter. She’s the youngest of the offspring.
Eric: Nice to meet you.
Harry: Yeah, Eric’s like a third son to me. Of course, I love my own sons the most.
Coroner: We’re going to lift the body out of here and take it into the city.
Stillman: Sure thing.
-Keith, the other son jumps in.
Keith Carson: Do you guys even know who she is?
Lily: We’re gonna find out. I get the feeling she has been here for a long time. And her story didn’t start here.
Harry: But it’s certainly where it ended.
Lily: You’re right about that.

Opening Credits

[r2k]

-At Lily’s desk.
Lily: We have an unidentified woman lying on a slab downstairs.
Vera: Jeffries is checking with missing persons from Michigan to see if they can find anything. We don’t have any woman fitting that description going missing in ’99 around here. The coupon we found in the pocket expired at the end of the year. 1999. How did the coupon survive the elements?
Lily: It was in a plastic bag with some other coupons. The others were national chains. That was the only local.
-Jeffries joins them.
Jeffries: We may have a possible victim. Ellen Larson, age 58, from Kalamazoo, Michigan. Missing since 1999. No leads there. File says she was on route to Maine to visit her oldest son. Never made it. Husband was supposed to go with her.
Lily: What happened there?
Jeffries: Doesn’t really say. They didn’t pursue him as suspect. She went missing. He is the one who reported it. Said she was entering Pennsylvania when she called last. Thing is, her route wouldn’t have taken her here. Unless she was sightseeing.
Lily: But it’s a bit out of her way, isn’t it.
Scotty: Have we contacted hubby yet.
Jeffries: Not yet. We did get a hold of the son, Josh. He’s on his way here. He happened to be in New Jersey for a conference at work so he’s swinging by here. His family is with him. Wife and two kids. He notified his father and relatives back in Michigan. They’re on their way now as well.
Lily: That’s got to be tough.
Jeffries: Ellen was on her way to see her grandson for the first time and never made it. Boy’s gotta be at least 6 by now.
Lily: Let me know as soon as Josh arrives.
Scotty: So what next?
Lily: I guess we have to wait until Josh arrives. Perhaps he can fill us in on some important details.
Scotty: Let’s hope he has something. Our odds of figuring this one out are slim to none.
Lily: I’m going to have to agree with you on this one. We have nothing on this one.
Scotty: Plus, she wasn’t even from here. Anyone who might have had a motive to kill her is a few states away.
Lily: Plus, she’s not a high profile person.
Scotty: Exactly. Well, at least we can give it a good shot. So, how are things with you and Kite?
Lily: Good. We’re taking it slow. Not rushing things. I like it.
Scotty: That’s good.
Lily: You’ll find someone too. Don’t worry.
Scotty: Hard to top Elisa. She was special.
Lily: It’s hard. I know. But in time, you’ll be able to handle it as you move forward.
Scotty: I’ll be okay.

-Later. In the morgue, Josh Larson is identifying the body.
Josh: It’s her jacket. I can tell.
Lily: We’re going to need a DNA sample to make sure.
-Josh is shaken up.
Josh: Sure thing. Where was she?
Lily: In a marshy area in the woods north of here. Some hunters found her.
Josh: What was she doing there?
Lily: We don’t know.
Josh: She called us from Pennsylvania. Told us she’d be a little late. But not to worry.
Lily: When was that?
Josh: Early morning in the early part of October. She called.

-Flashback to 1999 “The Way” by Fastball plays in the background
-Josh is at home in Maine with his wife, Kathy. They are in the kitchen. The baby is sitting in his booster seat. The phone rings.
Josh: That must be Mom.
Kathy: She’s only called us a million times since she left Michigan.
-Josh answers the phone.
Josh: Hello.
Ellen: Hi. It’s your mother. Look, I’m just entering Pennsylvania. I’m running a little late. So I might not be in until a little later. I’ve decided to take a scenic route.
Josh: Okay. So when do you think you’ll be in?
Ellen: I’ll be there tomorrow like we planned, just a little later.
Josh: Well, call me when you reach a motel.
Ellen: I will. Love you. Bye.
-Ellen hangs up.
Josh: She’s taking a scenic route.
Ellen: Your mother. The scenic route. Sounds crazy to me.
Josh: Tell me about it. Look, I gotta get to the airport if I’m going to catch the plane to New York. I’ll be back tonight.
Kathy: Sure. Call me when you get there.
Josh: I will.

-Return to the present.
Josh: She was really excited to meet Michael. But somehow I got the feeling she was distracted.
Lily: What do you mean?
Josh: You don’t know my mother. She’s a woman possessed and obsessed. This grandson was her obsession and for her to pause on this trip for anything is insane.
Lily: What do you mean?
Josh: I can only think of one thing that could have distracted her.
Lily: What?
Josh: Martin.
Lily: Who’s Martin?
Josh: My younger brother. He disappeared a year earlier.
Lily: Kidnapped.
Josh: He just graduated from college. Eclipsed by my upcoming wedding. Mom never really cared for him like she did me. It was evident.
Lily: How so?
Josh: I was the successful one. She put all her effort on me. Sad because Martin was the smarter of us two. But she liked me better. Martin had a lot of issues she didn’t care to deal with.
Lily: What issues?
Josh: He was picked on a lot growing up. He has a boyish looking face and he hated it. He was smaller. He was fit and worked out a lot, but he could never get over the face. He hated it. His voice was a little high as well. Wasn’t taken seriously by anyone. He would say something and people would completely ignore him. Like he wasn’t even there. My aunt Leslie and I tried to make him feel better. But mom and grandma just kept inflicting the damage. One day, he just disappeared.
Lily: Was there ever a possible connection made to her disappearance and his?
Josh: At first. But there was a big difference. Mom vanished on the way to see me. Martin packed up, left, and never let us know where he was going. He simply gave up on the family and just made himself more invisible than Mom already made him. That’s when the truth came out.
Lily: What truth?
Josh: Mom’s real intention for him.
Lily: And what was that?
Josh: He was to support her in her old age. I go out into the world and make a name for myself. He stays behind in misery and nurses her. He must have figured that out and felt the only way out was to flee in the middle of the night. Martin was able to convince Dad to sign all the savings accounts in his name before he fled.
Lily: How much did Martin make off with?
Josh: Are you sitting down?
Lily: I’m a detective.
Josh: $1,000,000.
Scotty: Huh. You’re kidding.
Josh: Grandpa set the accounts up for us when we were babies. Now there was guy who believed in Martin. Then he died and Grandma’s true colors came out. Somehow, Dad was able to forge Mom’s signature and get it done. Martin fled and bombs went off in that house. Mom didn’t speak to him for a week.
Lily: You ever try to look for him?
Josh: We tried at first until I realized he didn’t want to be found. Then, I let it go.
Lily: Did your mother?
Josh: I don’t know. She has a hard time letting things go. She had a one-track mind. When there was something on her mind, nothing else mattered. That’s what started the problems to begin with.
Lily: What do you mean?
Josh: Martin barely got any attention at home. He acted up in school constantly. The teachers consistently explained to mom the problem but she ignored them. I became the overachiever. Martin sort of ceased to exist. Then I was accepted at the Naval Academy. After that, nothing Martin ever did mattered. She wrote me dozens upon dozens of letters. Martin told me he got a total of zero. If that tells you anything.
Lily: Did Martin ever confront her on this?
Josh: Constantly. But she accused him of being disrespectful. He learned to avoid her as much as possible.
Lily: Do you think he may have killed her?
Josh: Not sure. Martin was trying to get away from her. If it was ever his intention of killing her, he would have been the one to seek her out. But we don’t know where he is. Literally, it’s like he’s dropped off the face of the earth.
Lily: How old would he be now?
Josh: 28. Wherever he is, I hope he didn’t do this. It was unnecessary.
Lily: Did you ever have any troubles with your mother?
Josh: Nothing unusual for a mother and son to experience. She was demanding. But we never really had a major falling out. Martin and I got along. He held out until my wedding in July. He split right after that. In fact, he changed his flight plans. You see, Mom made the arrangements for the family. It was her way of having control. But Martin managed to cancel the return flight and book some other destination. He even went to the airport with them. She was so into herself she never noticed he boarded another plane.

[r2k]

-Later, upstairs.
Lily: Josh seems to be defending Martin, while not ruling the possibility that he may have killed her.
Stillman: Well, let’s say hypothetically that Martin killed his mother.
Scotty: Okay.
Stillman: Then Martin must live within the Philly area somewhere. Let’s run a check. He might have moved here after the search for him died down.
-Jeffries joins in.
Jeffries: Already tried that. Nothing. If he’s here, he’s using a different name. Vera running I.D. photos now to see if there’s a match.
Stillman: Lil’, maybe you and Scotty should go to Michigan and see what you can learn from there.
Lily: Well, Ellen’s husband is on his way along with the rest of the immediate family.
Scotty: No point in going all the way out there when the people are all coming here.
Lily: And we can have all the records faxed to us if we need them.
Stillman: Good work. Alright. We need to establish a timeline of Ellen’s disappearance and her son’s.

-A little while later, Josh is with Lily again.
Lily: Josh, tell me about your brother, Martin. I want to know what he was like.
Josh: Immature as a child, but strangely enough he grew up fast during high school. Somewhat withdrawn after he grew up. You had to draw him out. Once he was comfortable with you, he was confident. That can be a big obstacle when nobody is there for help.
Lily: I don’t follow.
Josh: Martin has been lucky in the past to have someone around him willing to take the time to get to know him and introduce him around. He tends to wait for people to come to him. That’s the problem. People rarely will do that.
Lily: I know the feeling.
Josh: He’s learned to resent people a lot. Martin hated it that people knew he was shy and refused to help just a little. Whenever I took him places he would try so hard to get to know people and they would make it harder.
Lily: You think he may be living alone.
Josh: It wouldn’t surprise me. But that’s not what he really wanted from life. He wanted to be outgoing. He just doesn’t feel good about himself. But he’s a great guy and tries to be a good person. Sometimes he screws up big time. Mom always was hard on him. She would scream at him a lot. Even just before he left.
Lily: What job is Martin qualified to do?
Josh: He double majored in psychology and journalism. He could fit in well in either place. He was good working at restaurants. Learned management skills there. At work, he can be outgoing with people. I’ve seen him at work and he is a completely different person there. Socially, he’s a, well, a clutz. But in the end his heart is in the right place. Always has been. Mom’s wasn’t always.
Lily: Mean.
Josh: Yes. She didn’t have a lot of friends. She wanted Martin to end up like that so he could take care of her in her old age. That was her dream.

-Later, Ellen’s husband, Duane, comes in with Leslie and Janet.
Lily: You must be Duane.
Duane: Yes, this is Janet Kley, Ellen’s mother.
Leslie: I’m Leslie, Ellen’s sister.
-Josh comes into the area.
Josh: Dad.
Duane: Is it her?
Josh: Yes. I’m 100% sure. Her clothing.
Vera: And DNA. You two have seven alleles in common.
Janet: Where is my daughter?
Leslie: I don’t think you want to see her right now.
Lily: Leslie’s right. She’s pretty much bones now.
Janet: How did she die?
Lily: She was shot in the head. It doesn’t look like she suffered.
Janet: She never should have come alone.
Duane: I was supposed to go with her. When I couldn’t make the trip, I tried to stop her. She refused to listen to reason.
Leslie: Ellen was like that from when we were kids. Always traveling to the beat of her own drum.
Lily: We have a reason to believe Martin may have been responsible.
Duane: No, not him. His mission before leaving was to get as far away from her as possible. He couldn’t stand her.
Lily: Seeing as she must have been murdered here, we believe Martin may be living here in Philly as well.
Leslie: That was the last city she was checking before she disappeared. I saw it when I was at her house. Mother’s Day dinner. Josh and Kathy were expecting the baby and they came over on their way to Maine.

-Flashback to 1999. No Music. At Ellen’s house, the family is there.
Leslie: Ellen, what is this?
Ellen: A map of Philly. I think I’m going to pass through there on the way to Maine.
Leslie: That’s a little out of your way, isn’t it.
Ellen: I need to see the sights a bit when I travel.
Josh: Mom come quick, the baby’s kicking.
Ellen: Ooh, that’s exciting.
-Ellen rushes into the living room and feels Kathy’s stomach.
Kathy: He kicked several times.
-Ellen feels him kicking.
Ellen: I felt it, I felt it!!! Wow!!! That’s exciting. I can’t wait to be a grandmother.
Josh: I just wish Martin could be here.
-Ellen looks over to where her map of Philly was.
Ellen: I think it’s best if we forget about him. He’s a distant memory as far as I’m concerned. But we have a new little boy to take his place. And he’s going to cute and sweet.
-Meanwhile, Kathy and Duane are watching a movie on the television. It is the movie, Mommy Dearest, based on Joan Crawford’s life. You can hear the actress screaming, “No wire hangers!!!!”
Kathy: You know, Faye Dunaway did a really good job portraying Joan Crawford. This actress must have been a witch.
Duane: She was crazy. And I should know. (Duane looks at his wife)
Ellen: I just can’t wait to be a grandma.

-Return to the present.
Leslie: That was the strangest five minutes I’ve ever spent with her. And we shared a room for so many years growing up.
Lily: What struck you as odd?
Leslie: Well, for one thing, my sister hated sight seeing. Mom and Dad took us on vacation to so many places so many times growing up. The scenery is beautiful everywhere we went. But Ellen stayed in her room and wrote letters to boyfriends the whole time. She never wanted to see anything.
Josh: Another area she and Martin clashed on.
Lily: Really?
Josh: Martin can’t go past a city without seeing everything it has to offer. Mom could care less. She could be in Paris and not want to see the Eiffel Tower. One of the reasons she never went with Martin on any of his trips in high school.
Lily: Well, if she was willing to go out of her way to come here, then perhaps she still wanted Martin in her life.
Scotty: And maybe Martin didn’t.
Janet: Oh dear. I hope Martin didn’t kill her. He’s delicate. He can’t handle prison. He’s delicate.
Lily: The law is the law.
Janet: Look, I’m not going to defend my daughter. She was horrible to him. But if he killed her, she did something to him on this trip to make him do it.
Lily: Courts will take everything into consideration.
Leslie: I always tried to convince Ellen she was doing him wrong. But she ignored me. Like she ignored so many around her.
Lily: Thing is, she came here for Martin. And in order to get to the bottom of this, we need to find Martin.
-The Carsons come in.
Harry: We came to see if you found anything. Oh, this is my wife, Grace.
Grace: A pleasure to meet you all.
Lily: We identified her as Ellen Larson. This is her family.
Harry: Nice to meet you all. I’m sorry about your loss. If there’s anything we can do to make this easier. Do you have a place to stay?
Josh: Not yet.
Harry: Well, that settles it. You should stay with us. We have plenty of room and its in the suburbs. The drive into the city isn’t too far.
Josh: Well, if it’s not a problem.
Harry: We have plenty of room. My son Jeff will ride with one of you while my other Keith rides in the other.
-Lily turns to Duane and Josh.
Lily: I have their address. I’ll be in touch with you tomorrow. In the meantime, do you know of any of Martin’s friends. Maybe one of them knows what happened to him.
Josh: Martin sort of lost touch with everybody he knew from high school. College as well. There is one person. Her name is Molly Krusher. She lives in New York City. Advertising I think. College friend. They kept in touch until he disappeared. Thing is, she never called after that.
Lily: Almost like she knew he left.
Josh: Was strange. Dad kept telling me.
Lily: Your grandmother seems to be concerned about your brother.
Josh: Smokescreen detective. She’s a socialite wannabe. She gives off this aura of decent. Don’t be fooled.

[r2k]

-Later, after the family had gone.
Vera: We located Molly Krusher. She’s a bit busy but is available tomorrow. You’ll have to go to New York to see her though.
Lily: We’ll do that. I guess I’ll call it a day soon. I’m going to look at what we’ve got one more time.
Vera: Plans tonight?
Lily: If you must know, yes. I’m going out with Kite again.
Vera: So things are going good?
Lily: Yes, they are thank you for asking.
Vera: I’m just lookin’ out for you.
Lily: See you later.
-Lily looks at the file again. Scotty comes in.
Scotty: Found anything yet.
Lily: No. But I have a feeling Molly may be able to shed some light on his disappearance. They were college friends. Michigan State. I’m going to call some people over there and find out where they lived. Josh said Martin’s birthdate was 1976. So I’ll bet they met sometime between ’94 and ’98.
Scotty: Let’s find out. Hey Lil’, I’m getting one of those feelings. When we met the hunters the first time. They seemed too eager to help. Consider it, they are hunters. Maybe this woman was killed by them accidentally,
Lily: Possible. Fran isn’t back yet with the ballistics report.
-Frannie enters the area.
Frannie: I have what you need. Well, part. Ellen was obviously a through and through. Not sure of the bullet yet. Now, I’ll bet the bullet might still be out there.
Lily: So the killer was close.
Scotty: Rules out accidental. Maybe they were hunting something out of season.
Frannie: I would call a middle aged woman out of season.
Scotty: Maybe the other guy can tell us something.
Lily: Eric. Yeah, he wasn’t related to them. I wonder what his story is.
Scotty: Whatever it is, it can wait until tomorrow.
Frannie: Well, my work here is done. See you later, Valens. (She mispronounces it as usual.)
Scotty: Later, Fran.

-Later, Lily is out with Kite at a more casual place.
Kite: So how was work today?
Lily: The usual. And you?
Kite: Can’t complain.
Lily: It’s funny, I’m so used to pushing you away and now that I don’t want to do that, I don’t know what to do.
Kite: How about this. I tell you something about me and you tell me something about you. I’ll go first. Let me think. Got it. I almost became an exotic dancer.
-Lily starts to laugh.
Lily: Really. What made you change your mind?
Kite: I’m still not sure. (Laughs.)
Lily: Did you ever practice it?
Kite: I kind of sort of showed a girlfriend in high school.
Lily: (Laughing) That is too funny.
Kite: Now you.
Lily: Okay. I was engaged at one time to a great guy. Until my sister moved in and slept with him.
Kite: I’m sorry.
Lily: Well, for revenge, I slashed his tires and broke all his windows. Then, I stole his clothes and kicked him out of the house. He disappeared the next morning and never came back.
Kite: Well, I better be good to you.
Lily: I was a different person back then. He was the first taste of happiness I ever had. Losing him was hard. My sister and I have never really been on good terms since.
-Kite pulls his chair up to her. He takes her hand.
Kite: Don’t worry about it anymore. I understand you now. When someone has been through a lot, it’s best to take each thing one at a time.
Lily: That’s what I try to do. But sometimes it all comes at me. (tears start rolling down her eyes.) Oh, look at me. We’re supposed to be having a good time.
Kite: It’s okay. You haven’t screwed up. I guess I owe you a good one. So here goes. I lost a brother once.
-Lily pays attention.
Lily: What happened?
Kite: He was shot. Six times in the chest.
Lily: They ever find the guy?
Kite: No.
Lily: When did this happen?
Kite: I was twelve.
Lily: All this time I’ve been doing these cases you never mentioned it to me.
Kite: He was a good guy. My parents had tried so hard to forget it.
Lily: You want to look at it when I’m done with my current cold case.
Kite: Not yet. I’ve wanted to ask you. And it’s part of the reason I broke it off with you the first time. You were with that other guy on the porch. I understood why you do this. This job is so noble and above everything else in the department. I mean the idea of you going out there and seeking justice when everyone else has forgotten about it. It’s amazing. And I could never allow you to give that up if you didn’t want to. I admire you for it. And there may be moments where the job can ask more of you. But I’d rather deal with those small inconveniences than to not have you.
Lily: You’ve never said that to me before. I appreciate it.
Kite: Of course my 3 in the morning rule still stands.
Lily: How about you buy me a timer and set it the next time that happens? Say, five minutes with the desperate loved one and that’s it.
Kite: Deal.

[r2k]

-The next day, Lily and Scotty arrive at an office in New York City. Molly Krusher is sitting with them. Her image flashes back to when she was 22 in 1999.
Molly: Martin was a good guy. Part of his problem.
Lily: How so?
Molly: He was too trusting. Me, I’m vindictive. Cross me on purpose, and I will get you back. Not murder of course. You can call me Alexis from Dynasty. I have more dramatic ways of getting even. Like getting someone fired.
Lily: So how is it a strong-willed girl like you ended up friends with a softy like Martin.
Molly: We both had a rough upbringing. It brought us closer. We would talk about it with each other. Neither of us judged each other. We were opposites in every way. I was liberal, he was conservative. But it was nice to find a friend in someone so different and yet not battle each other. You know, it was like, I don’t know. We just became friends.
Lily: What about his mother?
Molly: He loved her, but she was a control freak. At any given time there were numerous messages on his machine. He had to get his own dorm room after a while because nobody wanted to room with him. The messages were pretty extreme. She would leave long messages after an argument with his father. She’d look to lean on his shoulder long distance. One night, he disconnected the phone.
Lily: Did it work?
Molly: Oh, it stopped the calls. What it didn’t stop was her coming to campus and humiliating him to death.
Lily: Did you see this exchange?
Molly: I missed it. Thing is, I saw the aftermath when she left and he was alone. We took a walk in the woods.

-Flashback to 1998. “Flagpole Sitta” by Harvey Danger plays in the background. Martin and Molly are walking in the woods. Martin is angry.
Molly: You want to talk about it?
Martin: I don’t know. I hate her. She has no clue how to be a mother. And there’s nothing I can do.
Molly: What do you want to do?
Martin: I want to get away from her.
Molly: Then do it.
Martin: She’ll find me. That’s what she does. That’s all she’ll ever do.
Molly: She’s a tyrant. You have to confront her at some point.
Martin: I know. But I’ve got so much to deal with here.
Molly: Look, let’s go get something to eat. We can go out of town somewhere so she won’t find us if she’s still here. Take a load off.
-Martin pauses to think.
Martin: Alright. I’ve got my wallet.
Molly: No, this will be my treat. You’ve earned it.

-Return to the present.
Molly: By the end of the evening, he was okay again. We returned to the dorms and she was gone. The next day, there was a message from his father apologizing for the whole thing.
Lily: You said something about her always finding him. What did he mean?
Molly: He tried to run away sixteen times between elementary and high school. He told me a few of the times he ran. In the end, she always found him. It was like he was a slave desperate to find his way North.
Lily: When he left, did he tell you?
Molly: No. At first, I was upset. But in the end, he needed a fresh start. I still have hope he will contact me. But my boyfriend doesn’t really like old boyfriends. Martin wasn’t one but you know how it goes. I’d at least like to hear that he’s okay.
Lily: We’re hoping to find him.
Scotty: Molly, do you think that the pressure might compel him to kill her.
Molly: No. He was afraid of her. He wanted to escape her. He always had this fear she would get him no matter what.
Scotty: But still, even if you’re right and he fled. If she were to find him, do you think he might have gotten desperate?
Molly: I don’t know. She was nuts. He was afraid of her. Thing is, he became a little out of it when she frustrated him. He couldn’t think clearly because she stressed him out. Martin would have made a clean break and in a way that she could never find him. Police could never find him. All I remember about the disappearance is that there was no activity on his credits cards. In fact, he cancelled them. Cancelled everything. Even his Driver’s License was cancelled. It’s like he got a new name and that is not easy. Not for someone like him. He was horribly shy but he managed to open up to someone long enough to get that arranged.
Lily: It would have to have been someone he trusted.
Molly: Well, they weren’t from high school. He did make some friends in college. But I’m not sure.
Lily: Well, thank you for your help.
Molly: No problem. I want to ask you something. What’s the worst that can happen to Martin if he did kill her?
Lily: Difficult to say. It depends on the particulars.
Scotty: Given the situation, he may have suffered from some stress disorder as a result of his experience with her.
Lily: Do you know something else about Martin?
Molly: He has an anxiety problem. I could sense it. Social situations made him nervous. He refused medication. I fear it got the best of him. He’s really a good guy. I just don’t want it to be him. His mother was a wretched beast, but I just don’t believe he is capable of it on his own. I hope he didn’t. He was terrified of social situations on the outside. He wouldn’t last in prison.
Lily: The courts might go easy on him. I’ve been telling his family.
Molly: If it is him, make sure he gets some help. He’s suffered a lot.
-A secretary comes in.
Secretary: Miss Krusher, your boyfriend is on line one.
Lily: What’s his name?
Molly: Chris Nell. Finally got a good one after years of psychotics.
Scotty: Good luck with him.
Molly: Thanks.

-Back at the station.
Jeffries: We’re getting nowhere with this guy.
Vera: I mean he is good. Vanished. Nowhere to be heard of again.
Lily: But then mother comes around and finds him
Scotty: He gets scared and kills her off.
Lily: She must have been capable of a lot. Molly gave us a lot of inside info on this woman. Let’s go back to the family. They didn’t quite paint the picture as extreme.

-At the Carson house.
Duane: I didn’t want you thinking she was crazy.
Scotty: Well, it seems she was in fact crazy.
Janet: That Molly girl had no manners. Ellen told me she never said thank you for the times she stayed over at the house.
Lily: She stayed with Martin.
Duane: She came over when she interviewed for jobs nearby or during college. She thanked Martin but evidently Ellen needed to be thanked as well.
Janet: It’s good manners.
Duane: Spare me the manners crap. If your interest in tact matched your interest in manners, you’d be a lady.
Janet: Oh! I can’t believe you’d speak to me that way.
Duane: You’re not my mother. And you treated me like dirt when Ellen and I first married.
Janet: Let’s face it, Duane. You were a simple mechanic. No future.
Leslie: He owns a few autbody shops.
Janet: Your father and I expected more from the man our daughter married.
-Lily whispers to Scotty.
Lily: Well, this is lovely.
Josh: Will you guys stop? You know Mom wasn’t the only reason Martin left. He couldn’t stand you either. It’s time for the truth to come out, Grandmother. He hated the way you monopolized his time.
Janet: I did not.
Josh: Yes, you did.
Janet: I asked him for help.
Josh: On days you knew he had plans.
-Josh looks at Lily.
Josh: One time in high school, he was invited on a trip to Cedar Point amusement park with some friends. He mentioned it in front of everyone.
Janet: He never said anything about that trip.
Leslie: I remember him mentioning that trip. He was going the next day. You called then asking him to do yardwork and Ellen said he would.
Josh: He was so mad at you but what could he do or say. Nothing worked.
Janet: I will not be picked on by you.
Josh: That’s right you wrinkled old prune, dish it out well but boy can’t take it can you.
Janet: You are supposed to be the successful one.
Josh: Never could say that to Martin’s face but you sure implied it well. And let’s not forget prom night. The first time in history he had the guts to ask a girl. (turns to Lily) He asks a girl out at a fast food restaurant. Grandma happens to show up and starts lecturing him on his appearance. The girl eventually left. He asked her again and she said yes. But Grandma decided he needed to do chores that weekend. He went to the dance instead, but not without the guilt trips.
Lily: You know I almost want to drop this case and let Martin off the hook on the off chance he is guilty of her death. But wrong or rude, crazy or insane, murder is not the way to solve problems.
Scotty: As nutty as this.
Janet: You two don’t have children. You don’t understand.
Lily: I do understand that a young man wanted so desperately to be loved by people who obvious wouldn’t know how to love a puppy if their lives depended on it. And by the way, Grandma, when you live in a house with single mom who didn’t care one bit about your well-being, didn’t feed you, went off with different men, and made you go out to buy booze, it gives you a little knowledge on the subject of parenting. So don’t tell me I don’t understand. Because now my mother is sick and I have to take care of her.
Josh: Mom made Dad miserable. And Grandma didn’t make things easier now did she.
Leslie: My father wasn’t much better. They were both cold and distant.
Janet: I am not. Watch your tone, missy.
Leslie: Or what? I’m glad this all came out. Mom you needed a rude awakening for years. It’s a shame you and Ellen weren’t together in that marsh.
-Lily’s phone rings. Lily leaves the room to answer it.
Lily: Rush.
Vera: I did a background check on Molly’s boyfriend like you asked.
Lily: What did you find?
Vera: Well, he’s from Long Island. Everything’s legit. He is not Martin.
Lily: I had a feeling. Still, we need to dig deeper into Molly’s life. I still think she knows something.
Vera: I’ll see what I can do.
Lily: Bye.
-Lily hangs up to find Eric spying on the family.
Lily: Something else, huh.
Eric: Tell me about it. My wife’s family is beginning to regret having them over I’m sure. I’ve been watching them since they came over. Wackos.
Lily: All of them?
Eric: Not Josh and Leslie. Duane seems okay. That old lady is a trip. She’s making them crazy. Duane married into that family. Glad I married into a good one.
Lily: You like the Carsons.
Eric: They’re great. I’m like another son to them. I lost my parents in a car crash when I was in high school. I was 18. Kind of been on my own ever since.
Lily: You miss them?
Eric: Every day. The Carsons are like them. Caring, loving. Laid back. You can’t be tense around them. But this family, nuts a plenty.
Lily: So where you from?
Eric: California. The fact I have a darker tan even in winter kind of gives it away.
Lily: I had a feeling you weren’t from around here.
Eric: I used to love California until they died. After that, I moved out here. Met Kelly soon after and we’ve been married six years. I miss the warm weather though. But I like it here.
Lily: Have you been listening in on everything.
Eric: Enough. Josh moved to Maine originally to keep his distance from his mother. His mother hated his wife. The wife was not as stressed about it. Infuriated the mother. And the grandmother. She doesn’t like me. Says I’m a freeloader. I make $60,000 a year and she thinks that. What does she know? Kelly and I have our own place. The old woman assumes I live here too.
Lily: I better get back in there and cool things down.
Eric: Janet went to her room already. It’s cool. One person made the difference in that room. They’re all fine now.
Lily: You know, I never really talked to you too much about the body.
Eric: I wasn’t the one who found it. Jeff did. Funny. We’ve been hunting out here for years and this time we went out further. Who knew there was a body out there?
Lily: Somebody knew. And I’m going to find out who.
-Lily goes back into the room.
Duane: I’m sorry about my mother-in-law. She can be a real nut.
Leslie: Ditto. She blames him for Ellen’s death. Thinks he never should have bailed on the trip.
Duane: Nothing I do is ever good enough for her daughter.
Lily: So the last 6 years have been pretty relaxing.
Duane: So to speak. Sold the house and moved into a condo. Wife doesn’t nag anymore. What’s not to love?
Scotty: Did you ever love her?
Duane: Yes. Of course I did. But she was nuts. You don’t see these things before the wedding. Then, without warning, they show up. I didn’t kill her. I wasn’t with her. I was at home. Look, the police cleared me of any wrongdoing back then.
Lily: That’s because there was no body.
Duane: Then, where did SUV go? They never found that either.
Scotty: Now that could have easily been junked somewhere. You live in Michigan. I’m thinking Detroit’s a perfect place to dump a vehicle.
Lily: It would be stolen and stripped in no time.
Scotty: A bus ticket would easily get you home in no time.
Duane: I didn’t kill my wife. Ever occur to you people that it just might have been a random killing and that we’re never going to find out.
Lily: Never isn’t a word in my vocabulary.

[r2k]

-Back at the station.
Lily: Duane seems to be a bit defensive.
Scotty: Yeah, but it would be kind of risky for him to travel with her like that. Someone out there must have seen them.
Lily: And if the SUV was junked and stripped, there’s no clear way to find that out.
Scotty: Which leads us back to Martin.
Lily: He’s the only one who clearly stood to lose. Duane was with her so many years. Why wait so long to off her when he could have done it years earlier? Maybe she was looking for Martin and found him here.
Scotty: We could run a photo of him from ’98 with the Driver’s Ed database. Maybe we’ll get a match. I mean if he wanted to start a new life then he would initiate the change here, right.
Lily: Worth a shot. But if he had made a name change, somehow his record should indicate the old name as well. And initial search records don’t indicate that. He dropped off the face of the Earth. There was no activity on his credit cards and his bank accounts were closed. No new ones were made in his name. He changed his name in a manner that would suggest someone helped him along.
Scotty: And then doctored the records to create a new identity.
Lily: Martin was shy. He would have done it in a smaller community.
Scotty: Or nearby someone he knew. He must have known someone who knew someone who worked in driver’s ed.
-Molly comes in.
Lily: Molly?
Molly: Hey. Look, I need to talk you both in private.
Lily: Sure. We’ll go into my boss’s office.
-Everyone goes to Stillman’s office.
Molly: I withheld information from you both. I know it was wrong but I needed some time to put it all together.
Lily: What did you keep from us?
Molly: I knew he ran away. He told me. Martin planned it all down to the last detail.
Lily: Did he tell you where he was going?
Molly: No. He said he would call me in a few years after the search had died down. He was afraid she might be spying on me. Then, his mother disappeared. I figured that scared him more. So I didn’t hear from him.
Lily: Do you have any idea where he might have gone. Surely he must have told you a favorite place.
Molly: He was always wanting to visit California. Warm weather. He felt he needed a place to relax in. I’m willing to bet you he went there.
Lily: Scotty, we can run his photo with their Driver’s Ed database pictures in California specifically.
Scotty: Maybe we can get a hit there.
-Scotty leaves the office.
Lily: Molly, Josh told me that Martin wasn’t exactly happy with the way he looked.
Molly: Yeah. He mentioned that to me at times. He was very boyish looking and it hurt him a lot. The guys never really were nice to him. He always had to make an extra effort to fit in. Martin wanted to change that. He hated not being the guy who got the girl, which was stupid because there a lot of girls who liked him. He just never gave them a chance because he shut them out. Put this big wall up around him. Truth. He could have had his pick of more girls than any frat guy I knew. He was a good guy. And he was getting stronger. He never gave himself the chance he needed and deserved. Look, I want to hang around a few days. I got a couple days off. I want to be here in case you need me.
Lily: I appreciate that.
Molly: My boyfriend and I are at this hotel and here’s the number. You know, if Martin went to California, then he couldn’t have killed his mother. There’s no way he could have got that body cross country.
Lily: Let’s hope that’s the case.
-Scotty comes in.
Scotty: Negative. Vera ran it all over the west coast. He then ran it all around here. Even went national.
Lily: Nothing.
Scotty: Zilch. Where did he go?
Lily: Another country?
Molly: No way. Martin came with a few friends and me to Europe one break and he hated it. Well, not the Italian part of the trip, but in general he missed his own country. He would never leave it. Don’t get me wrong, he enjoyed seeing the places. But living there, he wouldn’t.
Lily: But he isn’t in any database.
Scotty: Unless the person who arranged the picture didn’t put it in.
Lily: That could be disastrous if he was pulled over. Molly, you and Josh both knew how Martin hated the way he looked.
Molly: Right.
Lily: And his father signed all the savings accounts over to his name.
Scotty: How much was that again? $1,000,000. Wait, Lil, you’re not saying.
Lily: He didn’t just change his name. He changed more than that.

[r2k]

-Later.
Lily: Okay boss. The theory here is this. Martin is sick of his mother and wants to make a clean break. But he knows she’ll find him. So he flees. First, he cancels his accounts after they’ve been signed over to him exclusively. We can’t find his face on any Driver’s License database which leads us to the conclusion that Martin has had work done on him. His face that is. With $1,000,000 to his name, he can do that and have plenty left to make a new life for himself somewhere.
Stillman: Like California.
Lily: I don’t know about that. If Martin loved California and had been there many times, then he might not risk going out there. They’d find him for sure. Everyone he knew was aware how much he loved it there.
Scotty: The missing persons report on him indicate that was the first place they searched for him. Found nothing.
Lily: But he had his face worked on to make it look different. Question is what did he have done?
Scotty: Molly said he looked boyish. Maybe he had work done on his face extensively.
-A few minutes later.
Lily: I just spoke to Molly. She indicated that Martin probably would have wanted something permanent. Where you wouldn’t have to go in for any real follow-up treatment? Something natural.
Vera: What about the cop who became a she? We could talk to her.
Lily: That might not be a good thing.
Scotty: Why not? We have him/her, let’s use him.
Vera: Or her. This person might give us some insight.
Lily: No. I read something on this. They call it skeletal reshaping. And they can do it now where they can reshape the skull to make the face look different. Transgendered people have it done to change their face. Men can look like women.
Scotty: Women can look like men.
Vera: And men can look more like men.
Lily: Exactly. Martin wanted to fit in. That’s why he fled. And he figured the only way to have a normal life after the surgery was to change everything. He started a new life somewhere.
Scotty: Possibly here.
Lily: We’re gonna need to know all the places that do this. Fortunately, not all plastic surgeons do this kind of work and a few years ago it was less. Let’s go look it up.
-Lily and Scotty go to the computer.
Lily: Let’s have a look shall we. (She types in the request.)
Scotty: Not too many places that do it today.
Lily: Martin fled in ’98. Less places did this kind of work then. He’s also shy so chances are he made sure nobody would find him. He knew the doctor. Or knew someone who knew the doctor.

-Later, Molly is back. Her boyfriend is with her this time.
Molly: We had a few people going to med school but they couldn’t have become doctors so quickly.
Lily: But they may have known a doctor.
Molly: Barry. Barry Kohn. He was going to be a brain surgeon. He was in med school when Martin made his disappearance. Martin might have approached Barry.
Lily: Where is Barry now?
Molly: I don’t know. I sort of severed most ties with people in Michigan. Haven’t been back there in a long time. But he was going to be a brain surgeon. That I do know.
Lily: Scotty, why don’t you go check out doctors in the Midwest. Maybe his name will come up.
Molly: You really think he went through with the surgery.
Lily: We’re not sure.
Molly: That would give him motive, wouldn’t it? If his mother found him, then everything he worked so hard for would be lost. But that’s what puzzles me. I don’t she could have anticipated that he would do that. She would have looked for him, but never figured that out. Not in a million years.
Lily: Is there anything you know that might have given Ellen the idea he would come here to Philly?
Molly: Martin gave no real indication that he wanted to live here. It was always California. From the moment I first met him, he wanted to go to California and learn to surf.
Scotty: Located Barry. You’re gonna love this. He works here in Philly.
Lily: Let’s go talk to him. Thanks for coming in again Molly.
Molly: No problem.

-At Barry’s office, Lily and Scotty are talking to him. His images flashes back to age 23 and returns to normal.
Barry: I remember Martin. Good guy. Kind of clumsy. Tried to fix him up on several dates. Went bad every time.
Lily: At least you helped him. Doesn’t seem to be the case with a lot of people around him. Thing is, he’s been missing for 7 years and his mother went missing a year later. We believe he changed his identity and disappeared.
Scotty: But we also believe he may have changed his face too.
Lily: You wouldn’t happen to know about that, would you?
Barry: Off the record. In other words, this information is being provided to help you find him and my name cannot be linked to it.
Lily: Sure.
Barry: I know pretty much everything. He had the surgery out west. San Francisco to be exact. I was doing very well in med school and making a lot of connections. Anyway, they were testing some procedures.
Lily: Testing.
Barry: They were already proven, they just needed subjects to practice on. Martin asked me about it. The people out there were excited. Most of their subjects had been in car wrecks or had their face disfigured somehow. But Martin could be a masterpiece. They wanted him.
Scotty: And what was the deal?
Barry: It was to be practice only. No documentation and no records.
Lily: Was he going by his name at that time?
Barry: Of course. He was hard to locate. He seemed to be living in places where he could pay with cash. The surgery was planned and carried out in August 1998. I went with him so he wouldn’t be alone.
Lily: And when it was over, you came back here.
Barry: Yeah. I went back to med school and Martin stayed there. That was the last I saw of him. In fact, I didn’t see him after the surgery.
Lily: So you have no idea what he looked like.
Scotty: Did he mention a possible name he was going to take?
Barry: No. I have no idea how he was going to do that. I have a feeling he already had that planned out. He had the surgery a week after he disappeared. I do know the surgeons were well aware of what he was up to. We all complied. Thing is, his mother did something terrible to him.
Lily: When she came to yell at him.
Barry: You know. I understood what he needed. We kept it a secret. Besides, he didn’t want to be found by them ever so we felt we weren’t breaking any laws.
Lily: Thank you for your time.
-Lily notices some animal heads on the wall.
Lily: You do a lot of hunting?
Barry: A little here and there.
Lily: When you’re not saving lives.
Scotty: You know Martin’s mother was found in a wooded area with a bullet hole in her head.
Lily: And Martin was desperate to hide from her. Let’s hope for your sake he didn’t get any unexpected help.
-As they walk out, Barry has a nervous look on his face.

[r2k]

-At the station.
Lily: Barry confirms Martin had the surgery. Skeletal reshaping.
Scotty: I got someone at the hospital in San Francisco to give me a list of what was done. I explained to them it was for a homicide investigation so they spilled. He also had his voice deepened.
Vera: How do you do that?
Scotty: Well, they explained it to me because I asked. When men want to become women, they have their Adam’s apple removed. Somehow, he had his enlarged a bit.
Vera: Wow, with so many men wanting to become girls, you got one in the middle who wanted to be one of the guys.
Lily: Thing is, no matter what you’ve got on the outside, you can never completely change what’s on the inside. Part of that shy personality is still there. And that is our key.
Scotty: Plus his height and weight might still be the same.
Lily: And certain marks.

-At the Carson house.
Josh: Martin had a scar on his lower right arm. Dog bite when he was 12.
Scotty: Ouch.
Lily: That may be the only way we can identify him.
Josh: I don’t understand.
Lily: Martin has had surgery done on his face.
Duane: What?
Lily: Don’t worry, he’s not a woman now. He wanted to look less boyish.
Josh: He did that.
Lily: He even had his voice changed to go with the face.
Duane: That’s why he wanted the accounts in his name. So he could do that. How much did it all cost.
Lily: No more than $50,000.
Josh: He still has plenty left.
-Eric and his wife Kelly come in with their two kids.
Kelly: I’m sorry, we’re not interrupting anything. We’re just leaving for work.
Scotty: You two work together.
Eric: We run a shop in the city. Sort of a gift shop. Tourist place.
Kelly: It was my idea. Eric just puts up with it.
Eric: Well, I insisted on having some gift ideas for the guys. Sports stuff. It’s a relaxing job that gives us time together.
Kelly: We sort of balanced it out so he’s not surrounded by flowers and cutesy stuff like that.
Eric: We have a few people working for us. They opened up for us today.
Lily: Your kids are cute. What are their names?
Kelly: Danny and Justin. Danny is two and Justin is five. We’re working on number three.
Eric: Nothing yet. We were excited when Justin was born. But after only three years, Danny came along and took over. Danny likes a lot of attention. Justin sometimes feels he is forgotten.
Kelly: Of course we treat them equally as good. We make sure of it.
Lily: I’m sure it’ll work. Nice meeting you Kelly.
Kelly: Nice meeting you too.
-They leave Lily and Scotty to talk to Josh.
Lily: Hopefully, we will locate Martin soon.
Josh: I can’t believe he went so far to risk his life for that.
Lily: Some people want so much to feel normal. Martin is a good guy.

-Meanwhile, on the streets in the city not far from the station.
Lily: I have a feeling about something.
Scotty: About what?
Lily: I’m convinced Barry knows more about Martin’s whereabouts then he originally told us. Let’s bring him in.
Scotty: Let’s.
Lily: Those kids were cute, weren’t they?
Scotty: Yeah.
Lily: I thought Justin was kind of adorable.
Scotty: I liked Danny better.
Lily: You would. But Justin was the first.

-In the interrogation room.
Barry: I don’t know what happened to him.
Lily: Come on Barry. You knew what he was doing and his mother was found dead in Philly.
Scotty: Martin came back with you, didn’t he?
Martin: Okay, so he did. So what.
Lily: He needed a name change. Fork it up.
Martin: I don’t know what his new name was. Look, I had no idea he was going to stay here. I didn’t know I was still going to be here after med school. I knew someone who could arrange this sort of thing. He worked for the license bureau and he was able to get equipment to do it. This guy also worked with people who could set up a bank history.
Lily: How?
Barry: By giving people the name’s of dead people. It’s simple, get the name of someone who died that is close to your age. The person at the bank sets up the account. It already has a history so there’s an illusion that the person also has a history. I think they got the name from California. They just swiped it and established the dead person’s bank account here in Philly. It was like he moved here. That’s all I know. From here, he moved.
Lily: Or didn’t.
Barry: Look, that was one time thing. I never did it again. If you had seen the woman and what she did to him at the dorm, you might have done the same for him as well. She was a monster and he needed to get away from her. She did not deserve to have anyone relatives at all. She just seemed to break them like toys.
Lily: But you know what he looks like.


-A few minutes later. Barry is still in the interrogation room. Lily and Scotty are outside of the room.
Lily: Well, at least the height and weight might be the same.
Scotty: And the scar. I highly doubt Martin was too worried about that.
Lily: But the thing is, he could have moved after his mother’s murder. He may not even still be here.
Scotty: Oh yes he is.
Lily: What makes you think he is?
Scotty: He stood to lose a lot from her figuring him out. Martin must have found his place here and wasn’t willing to give it up.
Lily: He fought back this time.
Scotty: His confidence level must have skyrocketed after his change. There’s no way he was going to let her ruin it this time.
Lily: Barry mentioned that bank accounts were given with other people’s names. What about other things, like educational background.
Scotty: You mean did they add that stuff too.
Lily: We may need to talk to Barry again.

-Back in the interrogation room.
Lily: What other arrangements could be made for people in Martin’s position?
Barry: A vast number of things. Educational background, family, you name it.
Lily: Martin probably wanted to keep a low profile so he probably didn’t ask for much.
Barry: That’s right. Martin just wanted a simple life where he could just be, you know. He wanted a family and blend in with the surroundings. But I have no idea whose identity he took. It was somebody around his age who died in an accident. And the person lived in California. I remember hearing that. But nothing else.
Lily: He was 22. So this person had to be around that age.
Barry: Ages can be changed easily. I would say anywhere from 18-25 would have done for him.
Lily: We have a sketch artist coming in. Since there is no documentation from the place he had his surgery, you’re going to have to tell us what he looks like.

[r2k]

-Later.
Jeffries: I got a list of young men who died in California from accidents around that time. Narrowed the search to those who had similar height and weight requirements. But I noticed something.
Lily: Let me see.
-Lily zeroes in on a name.
Lily: I recognize that name. We’ve spoken to this person several times. I had a few conversations.
Scotty: Who?
Vera: (interrupting) The sketch artist is finished. Look familiar?
Lily: Eric Watts. His name is on the list and that is his face.
-Barry comes up to Lily.
Barry: Do you think I killed her?
Lily: Thought crossed our minds for a second.
Scotty: You knew what he did. And you knew she was a threat to him.
Lily: We know who he is. And you knew, didn’t you.
Barry: When he came to me 7 years ago, I’d never seen him so bent out of shape. He wanted to kill himself. But after he told me what was bothering him, I made the suggestion that he leave. He then decided to add the surgery to it. He always wanted to change himself and this was his chance. And was he ever so happy with results. He was strict about seeing himself. He waited until he had healed and everything was good.

-Flashback to 1999. “Allstar” by Smashmouth plays in the background. Martin is looking in the mirror.
Martin: Wow. I never imagined it would be this good.
Barry: The surgeons are proud. You are the best work.
Martin: When can I do the voice?
Barry: Not for another couple months. You can stay with me until then. You’re scheduled for October. It’s rushing it but I know you want to get your new life going. When you’re ready, I’ll introduce you to a friend of my girlfriend’s. Her name is Kelly.
Martin: Is she nice?
Barry: Oh yeah. Comes from a good family.
Martin: Thanks.

-Return to the present.
Barry: Truth is, I’ve known all along where he is. He’s been through so much and the past few years have gone so well for him.
Lily: Thanks for telling us this.
Barry: Thing is, he has confided in me everything. He would have mentioned her coming here to me.
Lily: We’re going to go talk to him now.

-At the gift store. Lily walks in. Kelly sees her.
Kelly: Hello Detective. What brings you in here?
Lily: Oh, I had some free time and thought I’d check the place out. You guys seemed happy about the place so I had to see what it had.
Kelly: It’s a nice store. We’ve done great business here.
-Eric comes out from the back.
Kelly: Look honey, the detective came to see the place.
-Eric gets a nervous look on his face.
Eric: Really.
Lily: It’s nice.
Kelly: You two talk. I’ve got to check out how Marcia’s doing with the inventory.
-Kelly goes back.
Eric: So you came to see the stuff.
Lily: I happen to be in the neighborhood. You know I remember Kelly mentioning you had sports stuff here. I can see this store appeals to both boys and girls.
-Lily walks over to the sports merchandise.
Eric: Well it’s a perfect balance.
Lily: I like it. Kind of an equal balance. Something for everyone.
Eric: Yeah. It was a compromise.
Lily: You like compromise, don’t you.
Eric: It doesn’t make sense for two people to be together and have one make the decisions.
Lily: That can hurt.
-Eric gets nervous and realizes she knows.
Lily: I know who you really are. And it’s okay. You don’t have to be afraid of me. I don’t want to hurt you.
Eric: Why can’t you just let it go? Why don’t you understand that I don’t care about them anymore. I just want a new life without them. I like the Carsons. They are my family.
Lily: Your family. Your real family is staying with your in-laws and they have no idea their son, brother, nephew is walking right past them. You do care. You’ve been watching them. I’ve seen you looking in. You want so much to talk to them.
Eric: You don’t think it hurts me to see the people I love and not be able to talk to them. You would never understand. Never in a million years.
Lily: Why did you kill her? Was it really worth it?
Eric: I didn’t kill her. Honest I didn’t.
Lily: You had to everything to lose by her finding you.
-Kelly comes out.
Kelly: Are you okay, Eric?
Eric: She knows about me.
Kelly: You mean that your real name is Martin.
Eric: I never told you my last name.
Kelly: What is it?
Eric: Martin Larson.
Kelly: You mean that woman was your mother. She was the witch. I guess it makes sense now. But to think you guys found her in the woods.
Eric: I didn’t kill her, Detective. I never knew she was here until we found the body the other day.
-Eric sits down.
Eric: I just got sick of being ignored by that family. Got sick of everything. I wanted so much to be happy and they were getting in the way.
I had been planning it for months.
Lily: How did you manage to get your dad to change the accounts over to your name?
Eric: He was having an affair. I asked him to do it or I would tell mom. And he did. I wanted to get away from her forever. She was horrible to me. And I wanted to go some place where I could start over again.
Lily: As of now, you’re a flight risk. I need for you to come with me.
Kelly: No!
Eric: It’s okay. Look, tell your father. He’ll take care of everything.
Kelly: He’ll kill you if he finds out.
Eric: He knows too. They found something out a few years ago. Your father confronted me in person. I felt it was important to tell the truth. So I did. He understood.
Kelly: You should have told me.
Eric: Your father felt it would be better if you didn’t worry. But your mother doesn’t know. She’s the only one who doesn’t. Look, I gotta go with her. Don’t worry about me.
-Eric walks out with Lily.
Eric: So we just walk.
Lily: Yeah, we just walk.
Eric: Thanks for not embarrassing me.
Lily: Well I figured you have enough of that for one lifetime. I don’t think you did it, Eric. But I had to ask to see if you had. I wanted to give you a chance to come clean. But I don’t want you to run away on me. I need you.
Eric: I promise I won’t run. You know, I did love her. I still do. I just wish she would have loved me like a normal mother.
Lily: You and me both, kid.

-At the station, Eric is in an interrogation room. Lily and Scotty are outside.
Lily: You know, I’m positive Eric didn’t kill her.
Scotty: I mean if his in-laws pretty much knew about it already, then her spilling the beans would be useless.
Vera: But someone else in the original family might not have known that the family knew.
Lily: Right. Perhaps they did it out of respect for his wishes to start over again.
Scotty: Let’s look into all the possibilities. Let’s call in the Carsons and the Larsons.
Vera: I just caught that. Their last names rhyme.
Lily: Focus, Vera, focus.

[r2k]

-The Carsons and the Larsons are now at the station.
Duane: You found my son.
Lily: Yes. Harry, I know you won’t be surprised.
-Harry’s wife, Grace is stunned.
Grace: What did she mean by that?
Harry: There’s something about Eric we haven’t told you. We were suspicious about him when he first met Kelly. We had him investigated.
Lily: Eric is Martin. He fled from Michigan in 1998 had surgery to alter his appearance and came to Philly.
Harry: He wanted to new life. We suspected something was up so I confronted him when I knew what was going on. And when he told me his story, I believed him. He was in love with our daughter and we gave him a chance. A chance I haven’t regretted.
Lily: Thing is, we don’t think Martin killed his mother.
Duane: You don’t?
Lily: No. We’d like to talk to you some more Duane. We’re not so convinced you stayed behind. Let’s go have some privacy.
Duane: Forget that. I didn’t go on the trip with her. And I have five people who can vouch for me. They’re all still alive and well. You can ask them.
Leslie: The police covered that the first time. A police officer is one of the five. Duane was in town all the time and couldn’t have made it all the way to Philly.
Lily: We’re gonna need you all to stay.
-Barry and Molly come in.
Lily: Well, everyone’s here. That’s a first.
Molly: Have you found anything yet?
Lily: Yes. We found Martin.
Molly: What?
Lily: He’s been going by the name Eric Watts. The name belonged to a high school kid who was in a car crash in California. Why don’t you join them?

-Stillman and Jeffries come in and are startled at the number of people in one place.
Stillman: Lil’ what’s going on?
Lily: We found Martin. It was Eric, the son-in-law.
Stillman: Has he been booked yet.
Lily: Not yet. He doesn’t seem to have a real motive for killing her. Turns out the Carsons knew all along his real first name. And everything else. Boss, he had nothing to lose. Even if his mother had done what she was planning, the Carsons wouldn’t have turned their backs on him.
Stillman: And how does this affect the Larsons?
Lily: Not sure yet.
Scotty: Wait. I think I got it.

-In Stillman’s office. Leslie is in there with Lily, Stillman, and Scotty.
Lily: With $1,000,000 each set up for both boys, how was Josh’s set up.
Leslie: Well, Josh’s account was in his mother’s name was well. She couldn’t touch both of them but she could decide how the money was distributed. Neither was to receive it until they were thirty or until Ellen decided the time was right.
Lily: Like a marriage.
Leslie: Right. Josh was supposed to get his on the wedding.
Lily: And what happened to Josh’s $1,000,000?
Leslie: He ends up getting at thirty-five. That is four years from now. She kind of put it off after Martin fled. Thing is, she never intended to let Martin touch that money while she was alive. She would have put it off longer if she could.

-In a separate interrogation room, Josh is talking with Lily and Vera.
Lily: It must have burned you to not get all that money.
Josh: I’ll still get it.
Lily: Eleven years later than anticipated.
Josh: So?
Vera: Thing is, you were on the road a lot with your job. You were on the road a bit while your mother was on her way out.
Lily: Maybe you took a trip to Philly and located her. Taught her a lesson or two perhaps.
Josh: I didn’t teach her anything. Besides I caught a flight to New Jersey and back. No road trip this time.
Lily: Why not? Martin gets the money at 22 while you had to wait. Thing is, you were going to get it soon after the wedding. But Martin’s little stunt cost you plenty.
Josh: It didn’t cost me a thing.
Lily: It cost you the best years of your life without the comforts. Don’t tell me that didn’t bother you.
Josh: Okay, it did! Mom and that shriveled up old bag out there made the decision. I wish I killed her, but I can’t speak for who did. Thing is, Dad was going to forge her signature the same way he did for Martin. But she disappeared before he could do it. Doing it then would have looked suspicious.

-In Stillman’s office.
Lily: Forgery, murder, deceit.
Vera: I say we should lock them all up.
Scotty: Let’s look at the Larson family as a whole. We all think this is about Ellem, right.
Lily: Well, it is.
Scotty: Only because she’s the victim. Thing is, all of our suspects so far have been cleared. I spoke to Josh’s wife. He had a big meeting in New York City while Ellen was on her way up. Kathy called him at his hotel right before Ellen made her final call from Philly to Maine. There’s no way he could have been there.
Stillman: Doesn’t rule out Martin.
Lily: We still don’t know the exact date of death. And Duane has five people ready to vouch for him when she went missing. Unless. Scotty you’re right this isn’t about Ellen.

-Lily goes back into the interrogation room where Eric/Martin is sitting.
Lily: What should I call you? Eric or Martin
Eric: Eric. I like Eric. They’re going to have to get used to it.
Lily: Okay Eric. You’re family is out there.
Eric: Harry is always been good to me.
Lily: Not just them, your real family. Your dad, brother, aunt, and grandmother. But you knew they were here. They’d like to see you. But one of them killed your mother, Eric. So one of them will be going away for this.
Eric: Why?
Lily: Your mother was searching for you. She found you and someone stopped her. Someone who cared for you deeply and truly understood what you were going through.
Eric: Josh couldn’t have done it.
Lily: Not Josh. Josh never knew what this was like. He was the successful one, remember.

-In another interrogation room. Lily walks in.
Lily: Leslie. I want to thank you for coming in here and answering a few more questions privately.
Leslie: No problem. I want to help.
Lily: But this is the kind of help that involves sacrifice.
Leslie: I don’t follow.
Lily: In order to help Martin, you need to give something up.
Leslie: What?
Lily: The truth. You and your sister shared a lot. But there was one thing you could never share. Your mother’s personality.
Leslie: I don’t follow.
Lily: You killed your sister, Leslie.
Leslie: Why would I do that?
Lily: You never had children of your own. And you’ve been so good to these boys. But you had to watch your sister do to them what your mother did to you. That must have been painful.
-Leslie pauses.
Leslie: It was heartbreaking. Ellen was the favorite one. She grew up doing the same thing to her two boys because it was all she knew.
Lily: You loved Martin. He was your favorite.
Leslie: I loved them both, but Martin needed someone to care and nurture him. He wouldn’t have gotten as far without me.
Lily: We just got his phone records and there are calls going back and forth from his cell phone to your cell phone. You two kept in touch all these years.
Leslie: When I saw the map of Philly, I knew she found him. She planned the trip to see the baby so she could also find him as well.
Lily: So you killed her to keep her from humiliating him again.
Leslie: It would have crushed him. And I couldn’t tell him. He couldn’t know anything. But the truth of the matter is she wasn’t going to humiliate him this time.
(Leslie turns and looks at Lily.) She was going there to kill him. I went there to save his life. She learned he was hunting with his in-laws. She must have been listening on a conversation when I was on the regular phone. Anyway, one day they went hunting. I followed her out in a rental car. I had to stop her. I turned my rental car in and hitched a ride out there. I did this for Martin. He deserved peace. And I made sure he never knew she was there.

-Flashback to 1999. In the wooded area. Ellen is prepping her gun to kill Martin. Some bugs get in her way and she puts the gun down to swat them away. Leslie sneaks up and picks the gun up.
Leslie: Sightseeing I presume.
-Ellen turns around.
Ellen: Leslie, what are you doing?
Leslie: I think you should answer that question.
Ellen: I found Martin. He’s out here with his new family hunting. I guess there’s going to be a hunting accident.
Leslie: So you’re going to kill him.
Ellen: He deserves it. He has no respect for family. None at all. Look what he has done to us.
Leslie: Haven’t you done enough damage to that kid. He just wants to be happy and you’ve gone out of your way to make him miserable.
Ellen: He is supposed to take care of his mother. That was the plan. That was always the plan. Josh was successful. He could do anything. Not Martin. Martin is a loser who is better off dead.
Leslie: He’s happy now. Leave him be.
Ellen: What? And rub it in my face that he didn’t need me at all.
Leslie: He never needed you. You were never there for him. Look at you. You are unstoppable. Nobody can convince you to listen. Well, maybe this will.
-Leslie fires one bullet that goes through Ellen’s head. You don’t see Ellen’s head. Her body falls into the water. Leslie wipes the prints off and throws the gun into the water. She takes the keys from Ellen’s SUV and drives away with it.

“Take a Picture” by Filter plays in the background as Eric is brought in to see Leslie in the interrogation room. They both hug. Duane and Josh come in with Janet close behind. Janet gets ready to move in but Harry Carson stops her. Leslie is crying as Lily takes her away. Josh pats Eric on the back. Duane hugs him. Their images flash back to 1998 and then return again. Lily watches as the family is reunited. She looks to the side to see Ellen standing there, unhappy that she is alone and without them. She now knows how her behavior alienated her from the ones who loved her. Eric goes to Kelly and hugs her. Their kids are there too. The Carsons pat Eric on the back and shake hands with the Larsons. At the gift store, Eric and Kelly are greeted by Barry, Molly, and Molly’s boyfriend. They are talking for a while as their images flashback. Lily and Scotty put the case file away and walk out. Lily leaves building and walks down the street a bit.

Next Episode: Work It
A former recluse approaches Lily about a murder he witnessed in 1993. The man remembers seeing a man push a model out of hotel window downtown. Although he didn’t see the guy very well, he was able to hear the killer’s words as the girl fell to her death. As Lily digs deeper into the case, she learns that the victim was destined for supermodel stardom. But something happened to end that career.

[r2k]

By the way, did any of you get the inside joke I inserted somewhere in the fan fic. If you looked closely, you might have caught it.

[ruda]

very good... very!!!!
you is a good writer too!

you write here some shipper [Lil & Kite]
I hope, you write more shippy in next fik [Lil & Scotty] ;D
you can make something about Lilly past. maybe with she was raped or molested please... do someting like that. and... more contents - less dialogues.

BIG GUG!!!
I'm waiting for your next fic

[r2k]

I'm glad you liked it. I have a question. What does shipper mean? I'm not clear on that. Anyway, this story was kind of out there. I got the idea from a previous Without a Trace episode in which a man became a women. Of course, I twisted the plot around a bit and put a murder around it. This was one where I didn't decide on the killer until the very end. I made sure everyone looked suspicious and then selected one to be the killer.

[ruda]

good...
shipper = romance
in this fic was shipper scene with Kite and Lil [shipper to me... ;D ]

your idea is very good. I'm waiting!!!

[Tati]

Another great one, R2K! I feel a bit smart because I realized very soon that Martin was Eric. I liked your choice for the killer, and her motive. I didn't get the inside joke, though... I'll have to re-read it later and see if I get it...

[TVFan]

Great job R2K! I was sure Eric/Martin was the killer. I'm so glad you went in a different direction because Eric needed to have some happiness in his life. I also missed the inside joke.

[r2k]

If I were to give you all a clue on the inside joke, you'd get it in a heartbeat. Here's a harder clue. Look again. One clue is there. Then the other clue comes along. But this is the only time the two clues are together. They both have everything to do with Cold Case.

[marcovalenslassing]

What a story! I am so going to read the next...

[r2k]

Okay, nobody has figured out the inside joke. Look at all the character's names in the story. Especially ones who don't have a speaking part.

[Disasterfreak]

Wait!!! Don't tell the inside joke yet. I still haven't been able to read the story (sorry, I suck I know, but it's long and I haven't had much time *blushes in shame*).