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No. 36 - "Silent Partner" 6/20/97Cast:
Guest Starring:
Co-Executive Producer - Garner Simmons Co-Executive Producer - Grant Rosenberg Producer - Robert Petrovicz Writer - Bill Bleich Director - Brenton Spencer |
| Fifteenth episode of the Second Season. Many thanks go to Kris K. for writing this and other episode descriptions. Suburban House night In a large dimly lit room, a fire burns in the fireplace, and a single candle is lit on a table. A seance is about to begin. Around the table is an older couple, two women, and Derek and Nick. While everyone is getting settled, Nick, with a goatee, seated next to Derek, whispers to him with a grin on his face, "If this seance thing doesn't play out, we could fleece these guys in poker." Derek looks bemused and replies in a whisper, "I don't think that's what Margaret had in mind when she invited us over." Just then Margaret begins by welcoming everyone and introduces her sister, Laura. Laura, who is hearing impaired, uses sign language. While she signs, her sister Margaret interprets, telling everyone that they're there to make contact with those loved ones that have crossed over. She tells everyone to join hands and not break the circle. Nick is sitting on Laura's right so he takes her hand in his left as they all link hands. Laura closes her eyes then and sways in her chair and Margaret tells everyone that Laura's trying to make contact with her spirit guide. Suddenly, Laura , in a trance-like state, cries out and leans back in her chair . Just then, the windows blow open and wind fills the room. Laura moans and moves back and forth. Margaret, extremely concerned, yells, "Laura , what's wrong?" Derek suddenly has a vision of a man striking a woman causing her to fall over a railing. Then, the older woman at the table tries to get up and Derek quickly and sharply tells her not to break the circle, "we must hold off the spirit." Suddenly the room gets quiet . Laura, with an entirely different persona and character, looks around at the people at the table. Her eyes have an eerie glow. She looks at Nick seductively and says her name is Elizabeth, and asks his name. He tells her then asks what happened to Laura. Still looking at Nick she replies, "She went away for awhile." She then tells him "loosen up, Nick, your hand is colder than mine." Derek asks her why she came, and she replies she could be there for any of them or maybe for someone else. Then she breaks the circle by taking her hand from Nick's and reaches enticingly to Nick's face stroking his chin and says, "See ya later, Alligator.". Then she closes her eyes, shudders and Laura returns as herself. Later that night - same house Nick, Derek, Margaret and Laura sit at a table drinking tea. Nick asks how she feels and she speaks, saying, "Better," and signs at the same time. Margaret tells them this is the third time Laura has passed out during a seance since they moved there. Its also the first time the entity identified itself by name. Margaret says it's unusual for Laura to pass out and has only done it a few times in the past usually from sheer exhaustion after a long session. Nick looks at Laura and while enunciating carefully, signs at the same time. He asks her if she remembers anything about the seance. She says no and asks when he learned to sign. Nick flashes a huge grin and signs and says, "when I heard you were coming back to San Francisco, I thought I'd give it a try but I'm pretty bad, - still a little raw.," She laughs delightedly and tells him he did pretty good except at the end when he said he was a "little cow." They all laugh, then Derek asks them why they decided to move back to San Francisco. Margaret says that after her father died there was no reason to stay in New York so they went back to the Bay area. She continues telling them Laura fell in love with that particular house while they were house hunting. Laura adds that she felt that Elizabeth needs to be reconnected to that house. "She's in a lot of pain". Derek asks her not to conduct any more seances until they find out more about Elizabeth. Laura, looking very serious, agrees. Legacy House - morning - Library meeting Rachel, wearing a very professional black suit and white blouse, asks Derek how he knows the Davis family and he replies that Matthew Davis was a member of the New York house for years. He worked with both Derek's father and Nick's father before he died. Rachel comments that the death of a surviving parent can be so traumatic that it triggers a repressed part of the personality and that could explain Laura's aggressiveness. Alex wonders if Laura wasn't channeling anyone but is causing the disturbances herself. Derek says because it wouldn't explain the vision he saw which indicates there's clearly a disturbed force invading Laura's body. He tells Alex to run a search on the house and find any connection with the name Elizabeth, or Liz. He then tells Nick to take the lead on this one and find out more about her previous contacts with the entity, adding, "She needs all their help for now." Pier 22 Restaurant Nick wearing a navy blue shirt and dark tie, sits with Laura at a table. He has a shrimp cocktail in front of him and asks Laura if she's sure she doesn't want any of it. They both sign and speak during the conversation. She declines and says it's nice to see him again. He says you too and asks if she's had any other visitations from Elizabeth. After she says no, he asks when it was she started channeling and remembers with a smile that she was about 5. She agrees and says it was when she was 5, right after she lost her hearing the gift came to her. She was scared at first but then it was a relief, a new place to go and not feel so alone. He asks, with a smile if she remembers their first seance. She grins widely and says, "we were 9 and you wanted to contact Babe Ruth to help with your hitting." Nick, smiling, "I was in a bit of a slump and the team needed me." Laura looks at Nick and asks what he's been up to noting that he's followed in his fathers footsteps. He pauses, slightly taken aback, averts his eyes and says, "ah, I guess. I joined the club - I don't like to call it my fathers footsteps even if it is true." She looks serious and apologizes telling him she's sorry if she made him feel uncomfortable. He reassures her that it wasn't her. She tells him she hasn't been out with someone for a long time and notes this isn't as much a date as business, "a case he's working on." Nick replies that he doesn't take everyone he does business with out for dinner and says this is a special occasion and reaches across to take her hand. They interlock fingers and both smile happily. Almost immediately, Laura gasps and closes her eyes. When she opens them, the sparkling eyeglow is back and she is Elizabeth. She looks at him and says "it's special for me too, Nick." And takes one of the shrimp and eats it, and asks, "You want me, don't you?" Then suddenly, she pulls back, shuts her eyes and her hand goes to her neck. Laura returns and looks frightened. Nick asks if she knows what just happened and if she's all right and she tells him, very frightened, that she's allergic to seafood. He gets up, grabs her and they leave the restaurant. Legacy House - kitchen, later that night Derek sits at the table wearing a suit. There is a beer and some food on the table in front of him. Nick in the same navy shirt as earlier but now with a leather jacket on, makes a sandwich, takes a beer from the refrigerator and says to Derek, "Pier 22 is a nice spot. Unfortunately , I didn't get to eat anything with what happened to Laura." Derek asks if she ate the shrimp after Elizabeth manifested herself. Nick says yeah but notes it doesn't make sense. Derek replies, "Elizabeth needs Laura to manifest herself." Park near pier, foggy night An old man walks a German Shepard. He hears a noise and sees someone through the fog. The dog is frightened, as the voice from the fog says, "Harry, it's me Lizzie." The dog runs away as a woman appears and he remembers and says "how could that be." She approaches (it's Elizabeth, possessing Laura) and says "ah you remember" as she takes his head in her hands and says softly, "See ya later, Alligator," she twists his head and snaps his neck. Legacy House - Control Room - that night Derek and Nick (eating a huge sandwich), listen as Alex, sitting at the keyboard, and wearing a gorgeous red top, puts a newspaper clipping up on the big screen monitor. It's from the San Francisco Herald and is from 1946. She tells them that Elizabeth Caldwell , wife of Benjamin Caldwell, a prominent banker hung herself in the parlor of that house on May 23rd 1946. The newspaper has a picture of Elizabeth. Alex continues, There was no note found and the cause of her distress was unknown. She was 27 when she died and was married only 2 years. She was an up from the streets former chorus girl and was known for her beauty. Her death caused a scandal. Alex enlarges the picture and so it fills the screen. Nick stares at it and moves towards the screen saying, "Unbelievable, it looks almost exactly like Laura." Hospital hallway An old man, (his name was not divulged at this time), looking worried, is met by a friend of his, named Ned. Ned tells him that Harry was found on the pier and that a couple heard the dog bark and saw someone run off and heard Harry say the name "Lizzie.". Ned looks at the other man and stops speaking as a policeman walks past them. The other man asks what's wrong and Ned continues to say that the police asked him if or any of Harry's acquaintances knew anyone named Lizzie. The other man is visibly distressed as Ned continues that he'd told the police that the name meant nothing. Laura's bedroom - night Laura is having a nightmare. She sees a woman at a party laughing and drinking, then a man strikes her and she falls over the railing. She wakes up, her eyes glowing and gets out of bed, now possessed by Elizabeth. Ned's house - same night Ned is drinking wine when he hears a noise and goes to investigate. He goes to the patio doors but doesn't open them. Suddenly, his lights start to flicker and a wind blows the doors open. He pulls them closed and hears a ghostly voice call his name, "Ned.". He asks who's there and he hears a friend from the old days". Then she appears upstairs and he flashback remembers when he was younger and he chased her, despite her requests that he leave her alone and her demands that he stop. Then he remembers another man striking her and she falls over the railing. Ned asks what kind of a joke is being played and runs to the other room for a gun in a drawer. Suddenly, at his side, is Elizabeth, stopping him from getting the gun. He asks who she is and she replies , "You know who I am and you know why I'm here". She is incredibly strong and she forces him to his knees as he asks again who she is. She again firmly says, "You know who I am and you know why I'm here." Then she takes his head in her hands and snaps his neck. Legacy House - library meeting - morning Derek starts by reviewing what they already know. Nick wearing his customary jeans, T-shirt and oversized cover shirt, leans against the wall. Alex, in a stunning silver turtleneck, sits at the table with an open book in front of her. Rachel, in a miniskirt, sits on the table, one leg crossed over the other. Derek, wearing a dark blue shirt, leans against a stack of books. He notes that initially Elizabeth could only make contact with Laura during a seance when she was most open and vulnerable. Nick adds that Elizabeth came so easily into Laura the other night at dinner. Alex knowingly says that the channel of contact is now open and it'll be hard for Laura to close it off. Derek discusses that there have been dozens of cases of spirits that have invaded the bodies of innocents and with each successive possession the host body begins to progressively weaken. Rachel worries that if she's possessed again she may be lost forever. Derek asks Nick if he is seeing Laura again that day. Nick says yes and that he'll keep an eye on her. Derek says that in the meantime they have to find out as much as possible about Elizabeth and the circumstances surrounding her death. He tells Alex and Rachel to go to the police station and pull up the coroner's inquest and see what they can find among the files on the case to figure out why she is so restless and why she's back . Cloudy cool day, along the water's edge Laura and Nick, both wearing leather coats, walk along the beach. They both talk and sign at the same time. She thanks him for lunch and he says maybe they should have had hamburgers the other night. They laugh. He asks if Elizabeth has returned since then. Laura says no and adds that she's worried about Elizabeth because she's in great pain and in trouble and it has to do with her suicide. Nick tells her Alex and Rachel are looking things up about her at the Marina police station and if they scare anything up they'll be the first to know. Laura says that's not enough and is worried that Elizabeth hasn't contacted her again saying she wants to help her. Nick tells her she's dangerous and Laura disagrees saying Elizabeth feels sad. He tells her she has to trust him and implores her to be strong and not let her back in. She says she can't stop Elizabeth from coming through her and she needs help. Nick tells her reassuringly that that's why he's there. They smile at each other and walk off. Police station - file room An old police officer leads Alex and Rachel to the archives saying, "unlimited access to the archives, huh, you gals must have some pull." The women glance at each other and grin and answer, "Yes, friends in high places". He leaves them telling them to scream if they need anything. They look at each other and laugh. At the same time Nick and Laura enter her bedroom. Laura carries a teapot and cups on a tray. They sit on the floor and begin conversing using sign and voice. She asks what Elizabeth is like, wondering especially if she is "nice." . He replies that if she was a living person he'd have coffee with her. Laura smiles, "Oh, you like her" and he replies with a smile, "I like the body she comes in but not what's she's doing to you." Laura gets up and moves away and as Nick pours the tea. She walks over to the bed and Elizabeth possesses her. Her eyes glow and she climbs on the bed and says seductively, "Hello Nick." He looks up calmly and says, "Elizabeth, funny, we were just talking about you." She says she's flattered and he asks why she's doing this to which she replies she has a little unfinished business to attend to. Nick asks her "why Laura?" and Elizabeth replies because she pulled her through the veil and she's young and pretty. He tells her he thinks she should leave her alone. Elizabeth then seductively moves towards Nick saying its been a long time since she's been with a man and begins to take her blouse off. Nick now gets angry, gets up and walks towards her saying, "OK, this is enough, You don't belong here and Laura doesn't deserve this." Elizabeth tells Nick this is about them and not Laura to which Nick begins to speak directly to Laura using sign and tells her to fight and to push Elizabeth away and out of her body. As Elizabeth starts touching Nick, he continues telling Laura to "fight", "fight." Elizabeth stops and the glow in the eyes goes out and Laura falls back on the bed. Laura realizes her blouse is open and asks what happened and if Elizabeth was there. He tells her she fought the spirit off and she worries what will happen if she comes back. Nick offers to stay there and to sleep in the floor. She agrees and hugs him. At the contact, her eyes glow and Elizabeth tries to come in, but Laura retains control. Nick assures her "I won't let her hurt you.". Police Archives Alex goes over what they have so far. The night before Elizabeth died she was seen with her husband Benjamin at the private, members only, "Drake Club." The next morning Benjamin found her body hanging in the parlor. Police cut her down, her neck was broken, no time of death was established and no evidence of foul play was found. The coroners office listed it as a suicide. Laura's bedroom - night Nick sleeps soundly in a chair, a pillow behind his head. Elizabeth has possessed Laura again and she stands at the window of the bedroom looking out. She quietly turns and leaves. Police Archives Alex finds a 33 1/3 vinyl record that was found on the phonograph where Elizabeth died. It's "This Love of Ours, written by Wally Rose, White House Records, 1945." They're sorry there is no record player there but Rachel says there's a coffee machine in the hallway and asks Alex if she wants coffee, "two sugars." And she heads to the coffee machine in the hall. At the same time - outside the police station Elizabeth in a long black dress and silver shoes, walks across the dark street heading for the station. Hallway - coffee machine Suddenly the window next to Rachel shatters and she screams. Alex hears it from the archive and runs out to Rachel. Just as she helps her up, Rachel tells her she saw a woman in a black dress and she pushed her down. They hear glass smashing and run back to the archive where Alex cries out with a frightened voice, "A fire!". Rachel grabs an extinguisher and reassuringly tells Alex she's got it and puts the fire out. They go back to the files and find a photograph of a woman and 3 men. Rachel recognizes the woman as Elizabeth and Alex smiles slightly and says, "So Elizabeth paid us a visit." They discover the record is gone. Alex looks at the files and declares that most everything is salvageable and wonders why she wanted the record. They collect the files and prepare to leave. High rise apartment building The old man from the hospital accepts a package at his door. It's the phonograph record. He walks across a very expensive apartment and puts it on the phonograph. A woman begins singing, "This Love of Ours.". The man is upset and frightened and grabs it off the turntable and smashes it. Laura's bedroom - morning Nick sleeping in the chair, awakens slowly and sees Laura sitting on the edge of her bed. He smiles and asks what she's doing and she replies that she's watching him sleep and she smiles, saying he must have had a nice dream because he was smiling. Nick stretches slightly and smiles and says he has to get back to the house and tells her he'll check in on her later. She says OK and he gets up to leave. Legacy House - Control room Nick, in a different set of clothes, sits on the edge of the table. Alex is at the keyboard. Rachel walks around. Derek is sitting in a suit in a chair and asks if they're convinced the fire was set by Elizabeth. Rachel says she's sure and they discuss that it's a problem because she figures they're trying to stop her. Rachel says the police documents indicate suicide but, now 50 years later, the other people in the photograph are making front page news again. Alex puts the news article on the overhead screen and displays the picture found in the police archive. It was taken at the Drake Club the night before Elizabeth died. The men are identified as Harold Perkins, Ned Gregson and Benjamin Caldwell, her husband. She begins with , Harold Perkins, murdered 2 weeks ago, while walking his dog, Ned Gregson, who also was found with a broken neck and who also happens to be the officer who sealed Elizabeth's file. She magnifies the next news article regarding his death, where it says he's a "former San Francisco Police Chief. Rachel comments that its the "Old Boys Club at work" and figures those 3 had something to do with the murder and that Elizabeth is using Laura to exact her revenge. Derek asks if Benjamin Caldwell is still alive and Alex tells him he's in San Francisco. They decide to make contact with him before it's too late for him and for Laura. Caldwell's Apartment Benjamin Caldwell is drinking when the phone rings. It's Elizabeth and she asks if he got her present. He doesn't respond so she asks if the cats got his tongue. He asks who it is and she tells him he already knows and to come to the club that night or she'll come to him and ends the conversation with "See ya later, Alligator." Later the same night It's pouring rain, Derek, driving, and Nick travel down a street in a 4x4. Nick tells Derek that Laura wasn't home and that Margaret didn't know where she was. The car phone rings, Nick answers it and Alex and Rachel come on. Nick puts them on the speaker phone and Rachel reports that they found an old autopsy x-ray report and it doesn't substantiate the coroner's reports. Elizabeth's neck was broken but it's not consistent with hanging which causes the neck to snap. The autopsy shows her neck was crushed then snapped, like she was killed before she was hanged. Therefore, it was broken before she supposedly committed suicide. Derek asks if they think that she was killed then set up by her husband and the others. Rachel agrees and asks if they found Caldwell. Nick says the doorman heard him tell the cab driver to take him to Drake Club . Alex says if this went down like it sounds she doesn't blame her for not resting. Derek adds, "Unfortunately she's leaving bodies in her wake including Laura if we dont get there fast." Nick hangs up the phone. Nick asks Derek, "So what are we supposed to do when we do find her, drive a stake thorough her heart?" Derek looks serious and says, "No of course not, but we have to stop Elizabeth from killing Caldwell. Laura's no longer in control." Nick looks at Derek, "I know, but, she's innocent. None of this is her fault." Derek glances at Nick and replies, "So we must save her as well." Nick looks ahead through the windshield, thinking. Drake Club - stormy night Caldwell enters the dark building. He immediately hears a voice calling "Benjamin." He looks up and sees Elizabeth on the balcony. He remembers hitting her and her body falling over the railing. He looks down and sees her body on the floor and leans over as the flashback in his mind becomes reality. He touches her head and turns it, only this time she wakes up. She jumps up and approaches him as he tries to get away from her. "So here we are again, Benjamin." Music starts, "They're playing our song." He pulls out a gun, looks around, sees the phonograph and shoots it. She scoffs that he's never been sentimental. He screams "Stop it, Stop it, Stop it." and aims the gun at her. Just then, Derek and Nick rush in and confront him. Nick calmly asks if everyone is all right and Elizabeth tells them Benjy is not much of a music lover. Both Nick and Derek stare at Benjamin who holds the gun on them. Nick tells him to take it easy when Benjamin asks who they are. Elizabeth tells Benjamin they're friends of hers. Derek says to put the gun down because killing another person won't make it any easier. Derek tells him they're there to help. Elizabeth angrily tells Benjamin that they're there to help so he should tell them what happened the last time they were there. Benjamin still holds the gun, now pointing it at Derek. Nick and Derek have split up and move slowly towards Caldwell from either side.. They prompt him to tell what really happen and he begins by saying it was accident and he loved her. That night they had first gone to the theater and then were drinking a lot. He had left the club to get some fresh air and he came back finding Elizabeth flirting with them. Elizabeth angrily replies, "They were pawing at me like they always did when you weren't around." She continues by saying that they thought that because they came from money that she was a plaything, but this time they weren't playing. She finishes with, "I needed you to protect me but instead you attacked me." Benjamin sobs that his anger got the best of him and he lost control. Derek says "So you slapped her, she fell over the rail and hit the floor. You killed her." Benjamin protests, "It was an accident'." Nick replies, "Bad enough you killed her, you tried to cover it up." Benjamin tells them he's paid for it every day for the past 50 years and that he thinks about it all the time and hasn't had a moment of peace since that night. He lost the only woman he ever loved, and has been consumed with guilt hiding this terrible secret. She angrily asks if he wants her to feel sorry for him. He says no as he turns towards her with the gun, "I want you to go back where you came from." Derek rushes him at the same time and grabs the gun arm. Benjamin drops the gun. Elizabeth moves suddenly forward as Nick yells "Elizabeth don't do it.". She looks at him and pushes and he flies with great force backwards into the wall. "I've waited too long for this moment." Derek says, "Isn't letting him live all the revenge you need?" She replies, "No, he deserves to die." Then she pushes Derek and he flies backwards into the wall. She menacingly approaches Benjamin and takes his head in her hands and looks deeply into his eyes. Nick gets up and asks Elizabeth if Laura needs to suffer for what happened to her. She replies she's sorry for her but she has to do this. Nick tells her she's doing the same thing to Laura that Benjamin and the others did to her. Derek adds that Laura's soul cannot take any more of this. And Nick beseeches that she let both Laura and Benjamin live. Benjamin then says that he loves her, and that he still loves her and tells her he never meant it to happen and begs for his life. She leans down to his face and says quietly, "See ya later, Alligator." She lets go of his face then and leans back and the spirit of Elizabeth leaves Laura body in an upwards bolt of bright light. Laura falls backwards to the floor, unconscious. Nick rushes to her calling her name, he cradles her and she wakes up. Derek announces that Elizabeth's spirit is gone and looks at Nick adding, "Lets hope that Laura's spirit can pull through." Nick tells him it will because she's strong. Outside Davis house - daytime Nick wearing a sweater and a leather jacket walks out to the car with Laura. Margaret waits in the car as they talk and sign. He asks her to write him when she gets to New York and she grins and says "that would be easier than using a telephone." She then adds that maybe when they get some distance they'll see how they really feel about each other. Nick smiles and says, "Distance would be good." She goes on that she wasn't herself to which Nick adds, "Not the best circumstances to start a……" . She stops him from finishing his sentence and smiles, saying it worked out though. "Whatever doesn't kill you makes you stronger. Nick grins and signs and says "That's what I hear." and she tells him she's stronger and thanks him . He thanks her in reply. They kiss on the cheek. Then, she gets in the car. Nick grins widely as the car drives away. Dreary day, along the water's edge Nick walks along throwing stones into the water. Voice-over: "It's true what they say about God giving and God taking away. Years ago, Laura lost her hearing but developed the ability to communicate in a different way. Some people are blessed to be able to hear the laughter of children and the sound of waves crashing. Others are blessed to be able to talk to angels." - direct quote from the episode. He looks thoughtfully at the surf then and turns away to a tight close-up of his face. |
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