Cold Case 8-11: Girl 20

[valrush]

Chubby Checker: “The Twist”


“We had just come back from a break and I was about to start everything up again. ‘Dig deep bronze, silver, and gold because we’re in the home stretch now! Let’s keep that energy up with a personal favorite of mine from Mr. Chubby Checker!’

“’I wish this guy would stop yelling in everyone’s ear,’ Susan said. We were dealing with some pretty frayed nerves at this point.

“’interesting, I wish you would stop lying to me,” Harry replied.

“Susan stopped moving; she looked like a deer in headlights. ‘What are you talking about? Where is this coming from?’

“’I’m talking about some interesting information I received earlier. I’m talking about how I’ve been wasting time worrying about you. I’m talking about a conversation you had where you said that this kid might not be mine,’ insisted Harry.

“’What conversation? Who did you hear this from?’ Susan asked.

“’Never mind that. We’re done,’ said Harry as he let go of Susan’s hand.

“’And just like that we are down to two! But don’t leave yet because our shutterbug Mr. Olchyk told me he wants one picture of the final three couples for tomorrow’s paper!’ I announced.

“’AAHH! GEES!’ shouted guy 9.

“’What Curtis?’ asked girl 9.

“’Cramp in my leg! I’m out, the one who's name we shall not say!’ Curtis yelled.

“’No Curtis, we’re so close! Curtis, you need to—‘but Curtis just let go and fell to the floor gripping his left leg.

“That’s when I stopped the music. ‘There it is! Ladies and gentlemen, we have our trophy winners for the 1962 Port Richmond Summer Dance Marathon: … guy 20 David Shoeman and girl 20 Crystal Hanley!’

“’We won? WE WON! WE WON!’ the couple shouted together.

“’I’m sorry, the one who's name we shall not say.’

“’You are completely worthless! Do you know that?’ the one who's name we shall not say yelled.

“David went to get some punch and Crystal walked up to Harry and Susan who were still having a heated argument. ‘You really think I would cheat on you!’

“’I haven’t heard you deny it!’

“’What’s going on?’ asked Crystal.

“’Congratulations, Crystal! Harry, I’m denying it now; I didn’t sleep with him!’ insisted Susan.

“’I feel like an idiot! I see the two of you flirting all of the time, but I never thought you would cross the line!’ Harry replied.

“’I didn’t!’

“’Would someone please tell me what is going on?’ asked Crystal.

“’It’s nothing but a stupid rumor that he’s blowing out of proportion!’ Susan replied.

“’Why not tell her? This concerns her too!’ Harry shouted.

“’Come on, Harry! Do you really think Susan would run around on you?’ asked Crystal.

“’With someone we know! Think back to that weekend in the Poconos, Crystal! Was there any time when you couldn’t account for his whereabouts? Why don’t you ask him for the truth about Susan’s baby?’ asked Harry.

“’Don’t listen to him! He’s talking nonsense! We didn’t do anything, Crystal! I swear it!’ insisted Susan. Crystal shook her head and walked away.

“’Swear all you want; I never want to see you again,’ Harry told Susan.”

[valrush]

“That’s the interesting thing about being the hired help; you’re a front row witness to all the drama,” Philip added.

“So, Harry and Susan split up that very night,” John replied.

Vera and Miller burst through the conference room door. “Boss, there are a few things you need to see,” insisted Vera. Stillman stood up and followed them to Vera’s desk. “I’ve been going over bank records for all parties involved trying to find anything suspicious. These are canceled checks from David’s account; David has been paying Susan $200 a month since January of 1963.”

John took the papers from Vera’s hand and flipped through them. “That’s when Susan’s son was born, and all the checks have Bertram’s name in the memo line. Child support?”

“That’s what I thought at first, but it’s 2011 and the checks are still coming. Child support usually stops at age 18. My theory is hush money. David sold her the tainted medicine after all, and her son can’t walk because of it,” Vera explained.

“That’s not all. I took another look at the crime scene pictures,” Miller explained. She shuffled through some papers of her own until she came to the newspaper photograph. “This is the picture that was taken after the contest. Look at Crystal’s left hand; it’s proudly displaying her new engagement ring.” Miller then shifted to another photograph. “This is a picture of Crystal’s body after she fell. Look at her hands here, no ring.”

“Okay, what happened to it? Susan keeps insisting that Harry is Bertram’s father. Why is David supporting Susan’s son after all this time if it’s not his?” Stillman asked. “There are too many holes in this guy’s story. I think it’s time we put him in the box.”

[valrush]

Miller and Vera hovered over David in the gray interview room. Miller slammed the picture from the newspaper down in front of him. “I took a closer look at this picture, David, and I noticed something funny. You all made it to the end, but you’re the only one that looks happy. the one who's name we shall not say’s glaring at her cousin and looking like she’s about to grind her teeth into dust, Harry’s eyes are on the door, Susan’s not even facing Harry, Crystal’s looking down at her shoes, and there you are waving your trophy in the air.”

“Why are you the only happy person in this picture, David?” asked Vera.

“Last I checked, I don’t have to talk to you,” insisted David.

“But somebody is talking, David. We have a witness; one of the people who was working the contest that night. He told us all about Harry and Susan’s very public break-up after he learned about Susan’s affair; an affair that he claimed concerned Crystal as well,” Miller explained.

“When you told us about your romantic proposal to Crystal you neglected to mention the part where you may have knocked up her friend,” insisted Vera.

David laughed. “Seeing as how I never slept with Susan; I’d like to know how that’s possible.”

Vera opened a file he was carrying to a series of pages featuring canceled checks. “Your bank history tells us otherwise. It seems you’ve been paying Susan $200 every month since January of 1963, and Bertram’s name is always in the memo line. January of 1963 was when Bertram was born. If he’s not your son, then why the child support?”

“We know about something else too. We know what Kevadon was,” insisted Miller.

“I told you about that,” informed David.

“You told us Susan was taking anti-nausea medicine, but you didn’t tell us that it was thalidomide. You didn’t tell us that you were selling illegal pills that were putting children’s lives at risk!” Vera shouted. “Was that your plan, David? You knocked up Susan and you were afraid of Crystal finding out, so you gave her those pills in the hopes that she would lose it?”

“I don’t like your accusations, detective!” David replied.

“We don’t like your lies!” Miller fired back.

“I’m not lying! Look, I’m not saying Crystal was the first, but I did think she was the one! I never cheated on Crystal; Bertram is not my son!” insisted David. “I’ve been paying Susan because … sometimes you just don’t believe something until you actually see it.”

“I don’t follow,” said Vera.

“I sold that medication to countless women in my neighborhood. I met their children; I never saw any evidence of birth defects. Then the government passes a law pulling Kevadon from the shelves, and suddenly I’m stuck with inventory I couldn’t use. So, when Susan told me she was pregnant, I offered it to her.

“I didn’t think anything of it until I saw her shortly after she had given birth. That’s when I first saw Bertram with all ten fingers … and five toes. She said his left foot was so badly deformed that they had to amputate it. That’s when I knew that I was responsible for what happened and that I couldn’t just walk away. I’ve been paying Susan ever since,” David explained.

Vera pulled a picture from the file and threw it down on the table. “This is a photograph taken after Crystal’s body was found. Where’s the engagement ring? We noticed that she was still wearing it in the newspaper picture but not in the other one.”

David said nothing so Miller spoke up. “That’s a big point of pride with a lot of guys. The engagement breaks up, they just lost a girl, and they have to have that ring back.”

“Crystal talked to Susan that day; she knew Susan was taking those pills,” insisted Vera. “I think Crystal knew about everything that we are just now discovering and she confronted you with it.”

“Talk about being in love: you cheated on her, you pushed her down the stairs, and then you stole her ring,” added Miller.

“I didn’t steal … the ring; she gave it back to me!” David shouted. “You’re right, she confronted me with all of it: the alleged cheating, the pills, she even thought I might go as far as what you said earlier. I’ll tell you something; I’d love to know how that damn cheating rumor got started because it destroyed everyone’s life. We argued right up until she fell.”

“Fell? You mean right up until you pushed her!” insisted Vera.

“I didn’t push her; she fell! What’s the point?” David asked. “I can read it on your faces that you’ll never believe me. I know that because, the way you’re looking at me right now, Crystal looked the exact same way…”

[valrush]

Cold Case Soundtrack: “Fireflies”

“We were coming out of the gymnasium and were about to head down the steps. ‘What the hell just happened in there?’ I asked.

“I thought it was just an innocent question; that’s why I was stunned when Crystal did what she did. She took the engagement ring off of her finger and handed it back to me. ‘You should take this back. I can’t look at it anymore.’

“None of this was registering in my head. ‘Crystal, what are you doing?’

“’It’s over, David. I know,’ she said.

“’Know what?’

“’Don’t play dumb, David. I know about you and Susan; I know Susan’s baby is really yours,’ she insisted.

“’Crystal, that’s not possible. I never slept with Susan! Who is saying I did?’ I asked.

“’Harry! I don’t know who he heard it from, but he’s pretty convinced!’ Crystal replied.

“’Whoever is saying these things is talking out of their ass! I never slept with Susan, Crystal, I swear!’ I insisted.

“’David, I remember the Poconos weekend. I remember there was a good part of time on that Sunday morning when Harry and I woke up and couldn’t find either one of you! We asked you about it at breakfast, and you said that you were both ‘out having a smoke’! That was your ‘smoke’ wasn’t it?’ she asked.

“’That was nothing! That was the truth! What can I say to make you believe me?’ I insisted.

“Crystal started to back away. ‘Nothing. I can forgive an affair, but what you’re doing to Susan… trying to make her lose the baby! I can’t get past that! I can’t believe you would go that far to cover this up!’

“’Wait a minute! What are you accusing me of now?’ I shouted.

“’She showed me the Kevadon! I’ve heard the news reports; I know the… damage those… pills cause!’ Crystal’s breaths were getting shorter. The color was going from her face, and she was having trouble standing. ‘I feel… dizzy. … The punch was… so strong. … Did you…’

“I started to move closer to her. ‘Crystal, are you okay? Let me—‘

“But she kept backing away. ‘No! … Get away … from … meEEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeee!’ she shrieked as she fell. Her foot missed the first step; there was no stopping it. I watched her slam into the lower landing on her back.

“My first thought was that she was injured but she was still alive. Then moments went by, and she wasn’t moving. I ran down the stairs calling to her, ‘Crystal! Crystal? Crystal!?’ But there was no response. I grabbed her hand hoping that I could wake her, but she was already going cold. I realize now that my next move wasn’t exactly logical, but I ran from that school looking for someone who could help. Obviously, I never found anyone.”

[valrush]

“That’s my story, detectives. Crystal blacked out right in front of me, and I couldn’t do anything for her. It’s the only time in my life I felt completely helpless,” David explained. “I ended up selling the ring a few weeks later.”

“Crystal’s favorite record gets a shelf of its own at your house, and yet you sold your engagement ring,” Miller responded.

“That ring wasn’t exactly filled with good memories for me anymore. Crystal died thinking I was unfaithful, thinking I was some kind of monster. It’s not something I care to remember. I dated a few girls after Crystal, but I never got that serious again,” David explained.

“Crystal mentioned something about drinking some funny punch; you’re saying she was drugged? That doesn’t exactly help your case. Unless you know something else, the only drug we know that was present that day was the thalidomide you put in play!” Vera replied.

“My story may sound like something out of crime novel, but it’s the truth! Do one of those DNA tests on me, or hook me up to a lie detector! I never slept with Susan, and I did not kill Crystal!”

“There’s still one part of your story I don’t buy. Why did you leave? Surely, this building had phones. You could have just called 911 from the school,” Miller insisted.

David sneered. “Like hell I could. Maybe you had 911 burned into your brain at childhood, but in 1962 that was still science fiction.”

Lilly and John sat behind the two way mirror in the adjacent room observing the interview. “He’s not lying about that. It would be another six years before911 would be implemented across the country. Prior to that, if you needed emergency services, you had to find a phone, wait to get connected to an operator, request service, wait to get transferred to another operator, state your emergency, and in all that time who knows what could have happened,” John explained.

Lilly sighed. “So what do we do now? Do we believe his story? His words are consistent with the tape.”

“David says there was no fling, Susan says there was no fling, and Harry says there was a fling. How do we determine who is lying?” asked John.

“David did offer his DNA on record,” insisted Lilly.

“We could probably get a court order if Harry fought us, but Susan’s son isn’t a suspect. He has no reason to give us anything,” John added.

“Let’s call them anyway. Susan asked Bertram to leave the room when we spoke to her. She’s been pretty secretive with him his whole life; she never even told him the whole truth about what happened to him. It’s a long shot, but maybe Bertram is tired of being kept in the dark like a child,” insisted Lilly.

[valrush]

It would be a long day of waiting and staring at white-painted walls for everyone involved at the forensic lab. Rush and Vera kept watch over the group as John entered the lobby through a white, metal door. “The lab tech says it won’t be too much longer. We appreciate you volunteering like this, Mr. Macluski; we know you didn’t have to.”

“I tried to tell him that,” insisted Susan.

“Mother, after last night, you don’t have a say in this matter!” Bertram replied. He rolled his way over to David. “So you’re David Shoeman? Interesting, I’ve never seen a walking corpse before.”

“I don’t follow,” Vera chimed in.

“Years ago, I was passing by my mother’s room, and I saw this check on her desk. It was for $200 and written in the name of David Shoeman. I didn’t think anything of it until a few months later when I went to get our mail one day, and I found this envelope in the box with David Shoeman’s name in the return address. I asked her who he was, and she told it was from an executor of an estate and that David was this uncle of hers that passed away and left her some money.

“I had no intension of coming down here today. Why would I? I never knew this Crystal girl. But then I heard my mother on the phone with that lady detective, and I heard something about my father and that name, David Shoeman! Then, after about an hour of drilling, the truth finally came out about thalidomide, about the checks, and about how my great uncle was really my dad!” Bertram explained.

“Bert, I told you last night. David is not your father!” insisted Susan.

“All due respect, I’ll let the test tell me that! You kept me in the dark about everything for 48 years; you’ll forgive me if I don’t exactly trust your word right now!” Bertram added.

“That’s perfect. Classic Susan, you lied to your own son just like you lied to me,” Harry said.

“She’s telling the truth! Susan and I were never like that!” David shouted.

“I never lied to you, Harry!” Susan insisted.

“At the risk of throwing a log on the fire, you did lie to us. You never told us about David and the monthly checks for Bertram,” Lilly explained.

“Monthly checks for Bertram, from him! Well, that’s all the proof I need right there!” insisted Harry.

“Yes, I supplied the pills that put Bertram in that chair, and I took responsibility for what I did! You let yourself believe some silly rumor so you could get out of your responsibilities! I should not have been the only one supporting your son!” David yelled.

“Newsflash, you and Crystal were going to be the witnesses at our wedding! I was ready to marry Susan! I was ready to support my son until I found out he might not be mine!” insisted Harry.

“You know, I was with Crystal when she fell. She said she was feeling dizzy and something about strong punch. Is that how it happened? Crystal tried to talk some sense into you so you poisoned her?” David asked.

“That is such a reach! Besides, Crystal didn’t exactly defend you when I told her! I say she confronted you and you poisoned her!” insisted Harry.

David rose from his blue, plastic chair. “Take that back!”

“Sit down, Mr. Shoeman,” Stillman added.

Harry stood up in response. “Why should I? It sounds like I hit a nerve!”

“Both of you; return to your seats!” Stillman yelled.

“You lying bastard; you’re lucky we’re in a police station right now!” David yelled.

“Would everyone shut up for five minutes? The DNA results are back!”Vera shouted holding a piece of paper. He started to read. “Damn it! I used to think those daytime talk shows were all staged; now I’m not so sure! … In the words of Mr. Maury Povich, Harry, you are the father.”

The room fell silent. Harry stepped across the white floor and took the paper from Vera’s hand. “Nothing to say, really! After everything that has happened!” Susan shouted.

“I told you, Harry! I loved Crystal! I never slept with Susan, and by the way, who the hell told you I did? I’d like to give them a piece of my mind too!” David insisted.

Harry wouldn’t take his eyes off the exit. “You want answers; get in line,” he said as he stormed out of the building.

“Mr. Brock!” Stillman called. But Harry was already out of earshot. “The last thing I want is for this to get crazier.”

“Boss, I was going to look in on Scotty tonight,” insisted Lilly.

“Right, you should do that. Vera, that means you’re with me tailing this guy,” Stillman replied.

[valrush]

The light from the lamp on Scotty’s desk reflected off of the papers and photographs. It was the only light in an otherwise darkened apartment. Scotty paced across the gray carpeting yelling at his phone. “Yeah, I know the Dent case is closed! … Look, all I’m asking is for you to confirm what you said to the police that night! … It could mean everything! It could mean the difference between arson and first degree murder; it could mean that fire had nothing to do with Frank Reese! … The Billingsley case? … That had nothing to do with me! That was all Nick Vera who by the way was proven right! … Believe me, this is civil! Uncivil is me coming down to your fire station tomorrow morning! Good night!”

Scotty threw the phone at his black, leather chair when he heard a knock at the door. Scotty threw open the door to see Lilly on the other side. “Lilly, whatever it is, I’m busy!”

“I heard, I’m glad to see that you’re taking the boss’s orders to relax seriously,” Lilly replied.

“So he sent you! Tell Stillman that he wanted me home, so I’m home!” Scotty insisted.

“He didn’t send me. I know something is up. You’re not that fat, Scotty; I saw you slip that case file under your coat before you left,” insisted Lilly. She walked past Scotty to his desk. “’Albert Dent’. Were we on patrol that night? I don’t remember this one.”

“No, it just fell in my lap,” Scotty insisted.

“It seems weird that the District Attorney would ask you to help with a case you nothing about alone. Stillman is in charge. Why didn’t he know anything about this?” asked Lilly.

“I don’t know. The phone rang at my desk about a week ago, I picked it up, and it was some lawyer asking for my help,” Scotty explained.

“The heading on this court document says the lead prosecutor was Charles Errol. Maybe I can contact him and find out why he only wants your help on this,” Lilly informed.

Scotty shook his head. “Lilly, why are you treating me like a suspect?”

“Because that is what I do when I think someone is hiding something. You bail on work with vague details, you fall asleep at your desk, and I don’t know who you were chewing out on the phone when I came by. This reeks of Will Jeffries’s secrecy,” Lilly replied. “We’ve had our issues in the past, but I thought we were at the point where we could trust each other. Are you in trouble, because there is definitely something you are not telling me?”

Scotty started to turn red. “I have my reasons. Trust me, you don’t want to know!”

“We’re partners, Scotty! I think I need to know! I’m not leaving until I get some answers!” Lilly insisted.

“Perfect, but I’m giving you advance warning! I tend to leave the toilet seat up!” Scotty replied as he turned back to his file. Lilly threw herself in front of him and took the file off the desk. “What the hell are you doing?”

“Do you want your file back? Talk to me!” Lilly insisted.

Scotty shook his head. “Lady, you’ve been an interrogator for far too long. Do you remember when my mother was mugged last year?”

[valrush]

5

Lilly sat at Scotty’s desk while Scotty paced across the floor. “So that’s it. This guard found out what I did, and he wants his brother back. I have ten days to figure out how to get this guy out of prison, or I might lose my badge.”

Lilly just kept reading the file. “You were on with the fire marshal earlier, weren’t you? The fireman’s report says that the side exit was obstructed. It could mean that someone meant to trap him inside; that would mean the motive was more personal than just insurance fraud.”

“Lilly, what are you doing?” Scotty asked.

“What about this Ken Prewitt? Mr. Reese said that he actually threatened to burn the place down, but they couldn’t make anything stick for him,” insisted Lilly.

“This is exactly why I didn’t tell anyone about this. I was trying to contain the damage!” insisted Scotty.

“You’re too invested in this to think clearly on your own! Let me handle this! Consider it payback for when you covered for me in the Morris Kitchner situation last year!” insisted Lilly.

“This is hardly the same thing! You didn’t kill Morris Kitchner; you were innocent! I’m not!” Scotty replied.

“We’re partners! Let me help you here!” Lilly yelled.

“Why do you want to help me? I just told you that I set a guy up to take a beating, he got killed, someone found out about it, and now that you know, your ass is on the line too! Why do you insist on burying yourself next to me?” Scotty demanded.

Lilly couldn’t speak. She felt like her legs were about to give out, but somehow she was moving. All reason had escaped her. She was running on pure instinct when she wrapped herself around Scotty and kissed him.

Scotty could barely hold his balance. He stumbled backwards nearly hitting the wall. “Wait … Lilly, … what are … are we really doing this?”

“Don’t speak, Scotty,” said Lilly as she went in again.

“Five minutes ago you were threatening me,” insisted Scotty.

“You’ve never heard of foreplay before?” Lilly asked as she kicked open the door to Scotty’s bedroom.

[valrush]

Stillman and Vera arrived at Harry and the one who's name we shall not say’s house. The argument could be heard clearly for miles down the street. “Do you honestly think that they will just take you in?” the one who's name we shall not say asked.

“I don’t know what Susan will do; I don’t know what Bertram will do! All I know is that I don’t trust you anymore! If nothing else, the Holiday Inn is as good a place as any!” insisted Harry.

Harry picked up two suitcases off the floor and started for the door where he found the detectives on the other side. “Philadelphia Police! What is going on here?” Stillman shouted.

“You called the cops on me!” insisted the one who's name we shall not say.

“I didn’t call anyone! I was at the station earlier, and they followed me here! They must have noticed I was pretty damn steamed when I left!” Harry explained. the one who's name we shall not say stood frozen to the floor. “That’s right, the one who's name we shall not say! I took the DNA test! I figured it would just confirm everything I was told, but it turns out I’ve trusted the wrong people all these years! So I’m actually glad for the police presence; it might stop me from doing something crazy!”

“Crazier than this! You’re making a mistake, Harry!” the one who's name we shall not say insisted.

“The only mistake I made was acting off of information that you gave me that night! You were the one who told me that Susan and David were involved!” Harry replied.

“You were pretty quick to believe it! On some level, you must have thought it was true! Face it Harry, you and Susan were never going to last!” the one who's name we shall not say responded.

Harry glared at his wife. “Did you kill Crystal?”

“What?”

“It’s a good question lady. We know she embarrassed you, we know that you would have given anything to beat her, and if you can lie about something this big for this long,” Vera intervened.

“I didn’t kill Crystal; I’m not lying!”

“The DNA test says you’re lying! We confirmed it; Harry is Bertram’s father!” Stillman shouted. “Now Harry wants answers, Susan wants answers, Bertram wants answers, and we want answers! WHAT DID YOU DO!?”

“I didn’t kill Crystal! I swear I never wanted her dead!” insisted the one who's name we shall not say. “It just didn’t seem fair; I was surrounded by something I couldn’t seem to find. Harry and Susan were about to have a family. Crystal and David got engaged that day. What did I have, my cousin? Her life seemed so perfect. I just wanted to beat her at something, so I caused a little chaos…”

[valrush]

Joe Jones: “You Talk Too Much”

 
“The fourth place couple had just dropped, and the DJ made an announcement. ‘Ladies and gentleman, we are now down to three couples! It might just be my blurry eyes talking, but I think that deserves another ten minute break! I will leave you with a song that reminds me of the last girl I dated!’

“Crystal and David headed for the sandwiches, Susan headed for the ladies’ room, and Harry leaned against the wall as I walked up to him. ‘Ladies’ room again? Well, I guess that’s to be expected in her condition.’

“Harry turned to me. ‘How do you know about it?’

“’Here’s a little tip. If you want to keep something secret, you might want to check under the stalls for feet. I overheard her talking to Crystal earlier about her being PG. Don’t you think it’s risky having her in this contest?’ I asked.

“Harry sighed. ‘Yeah, she has one in the oven, but if I thought she was struggling I would pull us out. I’m going to marry her; I want to do right by her,’ Harry explained.

“I shook my head. ‘Oh man.’

“’What?’

“’It’s just that I hope she’s doing right by you,” I said.

“’What are you talking about?’ Harry responded.

“’Well, obviously she didn’t say anything to me, but I heard her whispering to herself when I was in there. It was something like ‘I can’t tell her what we did; it would kill her.’ I told him.

“Harry struggled to find words. ‘She can’t… tell Crystal… about her and David? We all went away together a few months ago, and there was some time when we couldn’t find either one of them. Are you sure about this?’

“’For all I know it could be something completely innocent. But I just thought you needed to know what I heard,’ I added.

“’Yeah, and I appreciate it,’ Harry replied.”

[valrush]

“I thought that would be the end of it. Obviously I never thought I would marry Harry Brock,” insisted the one who's name we shall not say.

“You won’t be for much longer if I have a say! Good bye!” Harry yelled as he slammed the door behind him.

“Your little plan didn’t exactly work! You still lost to Crystal, and we have a witness who says you were about ready to tear your cousin a new one after the contest! That tells me you were still spitting venom at that point!” insisted Vera.

“You knew Susan was pregnant; it’s not such a stretch to believe that you knew about the anti-nausea pills she was taking; the pills she brought with her that day! Maybe you slipped a few of them into Crystal’s punch!” Stillman added. “David told us that Crystal was acting drugged before she died, and we’re pretty sure he’s telling the truth now!”

“Pills … in her drink? Was that… what she was looking for?” the one who's name we shall not say asked.

“If you know anything else, now is the time to talk!” Vera informed.

“I didn’t think anything of it at the time, but if you say Susan had drugs on her,” the one who's name we shall not say began. “It was right before we took that stupid picture. I had split off from the celebration; I didn’t want to be around anyone at this point. I was standing in the back corner planning an exit strategy when I saw Susan facing the wall. She had a cup of that fruit punch in one hand, and she was fumbling through her purse with the other.”

“That’s a pretty flimsy story. It doesn’t make any sense; what’s Susan’s motive for killing Crystal?” Vera asked.

“I can only tell you what I saw, and I swear I didn’t know about any pills! As for her reasons you’ll have to talk to her, or are you not done ruining your life?” the one who's name we shall not say replied.

Stillman shot a long stare back at the one who's name we shall not say. “Let’s get one thing perfectly clear; you ruined your own life! You started your relationship with Harry on a lie; you cost a father 48 years with his son! Your actions twisted the fates of everyone involved that night! Maybe you didn’t do anything I can charge you with, but you are far from clean here lady!” Stillman turned back to Vera and they walked out the door.

[valrush]

Susan Macluski opened her door to find Harry standing outside with Stillman and Vera behind him. “Harry, detectives, what are you doing here?”

“the one who's name we shall not say Polaski finally came clean,” said Stillman.

“I’m sorry for not believing you back then. My soon to be ex-wife started a stupid rumor, and I was just stupid enough to believe it,” Harry explained.

“She came clean about something else. She told us how she saw you at the end of the contest. She saw you rifling through your purse for something while you were holding a cup of punch in your other hand,” Stillman added.

“We know Crystal was drugged, and the only drug present that night was the Kevadon that you were taking,” Vera informed.

Susan shook her head. “You’ve got it wrong, detectives.”

“Before she fell, Crystal broke off her engagement. She believed the rumor too,” Stillman explained. “You see, we’ve been trying to figure out why you would want to poison Crystal. The only thing that we can figure is that you try to convince her that you and David were never involved. But she didn’t believe you either, and that sent you over the edge.”

“There was no convincing Crystal of anything that night. But you have it wrong! I never wanted to hurt Crystal! I tried … I tried to stop her!” Susan informed.

“Stop her?” Stillman asked.

Vera turned his gaze fully onto Susan. “The poison wasn’t meant for Crystal, was it?”

“What’s going to happen to my son if I go to prison? I’m all he has!” Susan squeaked.

“That’s not true; he has me! If Bertram wants me, he’ll have me!” Harry called. “For what it’s worth, Susan, I’ve already forgiven you!”

“Forgiven me?”

“I should have believed you from the start; I can’t blame you for feeling the way you felt,” Harry replied. “Just say it, the poisoned punch was meant for me.”

Susan sighed. “You left me, Harry, and the thought of being a single mother back then terrified me. My whole world was coming down around me. But it wasn’t meant for you, and it wasn’t meant for Crystal. It was meant for me…”

[valrush]

Cold Case Soundtrack: “Best Friends”

“I took the ladle and poured some punch into a cup. Then I took the pills from my purse and dropped a few of them in the punch. I was about to down the whole thing in one shot when you walked up to me, Harry. ‘If it was up to me, I’d never have to be near you again. But the photographer wants everyone to stay for a picture of the final three couples. So let’s just do this damn picture and go our separate ways.’

“So that’s what we did. I set the cup down on the table and met everyone under the banner. The photographer lined up his shot, and then he snapped the picture. He did this a few more times before he said, ‘That should do it.’ Then we all separated.

“Crystal made her way over to the table where I saw her taking a sip from her cup. ‘I think this punch is going stale.’

“All those cups looked the same; that’s why I tried to lay mine separate from the others. But I looked over the table and saw my cup was missing. ‘Crystal no!’

“’What Susan?’ she snapped at me.

“’That was my drink!’ I shouted.

“’Seriously?’

“’Yes, I put it down in that exact spot!’ I told her.

“Crystal shook her head and smiled at me. ‘Nice try, Susan, but you’re not going to steal this from me too.’

“I started to speak, ‘Steal…’. But that’s when I knew that Crystal didn’t believe me either. I just took my purse off of the wall and left. What else could I do? I couldn’t tell her what I did, and I certainly didn’t know how to save her. Damn it Crystal, why didn’t you trust me?”

[valrush]

The Shirelles: “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow?”

 
Harry entered the house as Stillman and Vera walked Susan to the car. She would be charged with first degree manslaughter.

the one who's name we shall not say Brock could only wonder how much longer she would be keeping that name. She sat on her couch holding a picture from her and Harry’s wedding, but all she could think of was the impending divorce.

At David’s home Andrew Darius explained the final moments leading up to Crystal’s poisoning. David walked over to his shelf of records, pulled the copy of ‘Tonight’s the Night’ by The Shirelles off of the shelf, and inserted it in an old record player. To both of their surprises it still played. He danced across the living room with the ghost of Crystal Hanley until she faded from view. It was at this moment that Darius realized his importance as a cold case detective.

At the station, Kat Miller returned Crystal’s file box to the shelf and marked it CLOSED.

A shirtless Scotty Valens could barely sleep. He spent most of the night peering through an opening in his bedroom door at a barely-clothed Lilly Rush as she sat at his desk poring over the Albert Dent case file.

[valrush]

Audio PowerPoint slides also available.

[valrush]

AFTER THE SHOW

Okay ladies, let me have it.

I describe this episode as being equal parts context and controversy because I kept wondering if anyone was going to buy this.  Is anyone going to buy that this lady, between 2-3 months along, was going to be on her feet for 15 hours? I want to be proud of the story, the music, the context, but it all hinges on that one question.

Thalidomide/Kevadon was in deed a real drug that did have real consequences for thousands of children across the globe.  The drug was manufactured by the William S. Merell Company in Cincinnati, Ohio.  However, my research suggests that most of the damage caused by this drug was suffered in Europe, Canada, and the Middle East.  As I understand it, the drug did exist in the U.S., but it did not stay on the shelves long due largely to the work of Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey who was in charge of approving new drugs at the FDA in 1960. Her persistence eventually caused Kevadon to be pulled from the shelves in the U.S. and ultimately the world at large.  Dangerous consequences from Kevadon were later sited by those in the feminist movement to legalize birth control as well as the pro-choice movement.

This episode was what I like to call a fish bowl case; it took place in a closed setting and had a limited number of people involved.  It was in a similar vain to that of season 4 episode 13: "Blackout" or season 3 episode 18: "Wilkomen" where the drama was largely contained.  To that end, I needed the fish bowl to be believable; it needed to feel like a real Port Richmond neighborhood gathering.  The first note would be a significant presence of Polish/Eastern European names; the Port Richmond district of Philadelphia was a largely Polish community during this time.  Charles Caroll High School was a real place that no longer exists; I seem to recall news reports saying that the school was shut down in 2013.  Beyond that, every element from the over sized bowl of punch to the frequent bouts of flash photography to the over the top, out of sync, slightly corrupt DJ that everyone hated was intended to make one feel as if this was an actual event that would bring back memories for people involved.

The music for this episode would be what I would call a happy accident.  All I can say is "Thank you Comcast Music Choice".  I did not exactly grow up with these songs, but, thanks to the music by decade channels offered by my cable company, I have become somewhat of an expert on oldies.  I also knew a little about dances that were popular around this time such as the twist or the mashed potato.  In searching these dances, all of these names kept coming up: Sam Cooke, Chubby Checker, Dee Dee Sharp, The Shirelles ... .  I did not really intend for this episode to be a solute to early 1960s R&B, but when I saw what was happening I just decided to run with it.  Regarding my book end songs, I started with Sam Cooke's "Having a Party" for obvious reasons.  I chose The Shirelles's "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" because a lot is left up in the air at the end of this episode: Harry and Susan's relationship, Harry and the one who's name we shall not say's relationship, David finally gets some closure in regard to Crystal, Lilly and Scotty finally get together.

That brings me to the final issue that I am sure will divide the audience.  Some people wanted Lily and Scotty together, others did not.  I know that the original producers went on record saying that it seemed too simple to just throw Lily and Scotty together, but I still believe that they had gotten very close near the end of season 7 and that their being a couple was not out of the realm of possibilities.

That concludes my rant on this episode.  I hope you enjoyed it and found at least somewhat believable.