Erica (Megan Ward) gets another enemy on her hate list!
Cliff Atkinson lets Erica have it in a confrontation!
Scene One[]
Boston Police Headquarters. Erica is shackled, while Cliff comes in.
ERICA: What are YOU doing here?
CLIFF: Hello Erica, you're finished.
ERICA: I just bet that I am!
CLIFF: Man, all those crimes, here and in the UK! You really ARE going to go down!
ERICA: I will be taking you and Virgil down with me!
JACOBSON: I don't believe so, Ms. Harper.
ERICA: What do you mean?!
JACOBSON: Virgil confessed to his crimes!
CLIFF: That is why I came here, Agent Jacobson, to confess my complicity with this.
JACOBSON: You don't have to worry about that. Virgil made sure you and Steven didn't take the fall.
ERICA: WHAT?!
JACOBSON (ignoring Erica): Mr. Atkinson, you and Steven Bennett are in the clear. Steven told us when he called us in the first place all the things Erica had done, both here and in the UK, especially with the death of Christopher Harper; and the attempted embezzlement at Harper. Not to mention all the harassment of Rosemary, culminating in her baby's death; and the harassment of Hannah, which explains why Erica was shot.
ERICA: I demand justice!
CLIFF: Virgil confessed everything?
JACOBSON: Yes, he told us that he went at this alone. He didn't even try when he shot Erica. It's a surprise that he didn't even try that hard to shoot her, with all she had done. Given, two wrongs don't make a right, however. Virgil took a plea deal to simple assault. He will sit in jail for about six months, but it will be expunged from his record with his testimony.
ERICA: You mean he's going to testify AGAINST me?!
JACOBSON: He will be prepped by the DA herself. And you, Erica, are going to be going down! Officer, get her out of here!
(As the officer takes Erica out of the room, Jacobson allows Cliff to leave.)
Scene Two[]
Roger's townhouse in Boston. He and Matthew Ackerman are coming back from a baseball game.
MATT: You were not kidding about being a die hard Red Sox fan. You were booing the Yankees like crazy!
ROGER: I never DID like the Yankees.
MATT: Neither have I.
ROGER: Where are you from?
MATT: I'm kind of local. I grew up in Hanover, New Hampshire.
ROGER: You went to Dartmouth??
MATT: Not really, my parents were professors at Dartmouth, I grew up around academics all my life, and it kind of stung when I went to Harvard, but they were all right with it. Especially when I became the head librarian at the Harvard Library.
ROGER: Did you pick up the mail?
MATT: Yes, I did, it is on your table there.
(Roger's eyes widen at the letter he received from his ex.)
ROGER: I should have guessed what he was going to do.
MATT: Your ex, that you told me about?
ROGER: Yes, he moved to London. He found a guy, and he also found a girl!
MATT: Oh my goodness.
ROGER: Yeah, he dropped me like a bad habit!
(Matt is saddened by the calloused breakup via letter of his new friend.)
Scene Three[]
Boston Government Center. Built many years ago after the razing of the infamous area called Scollay Square, it is perhaps the most antiseptic of areas in this normally historical city. This afternoon, at lunch, Anyssa and Bryan Forson are eating at a nearby cafe.
ANYSSA: I talked with Agent Jacobson from the FBI today.
BRYAN: Really? What is going on?
ANYSSA: Erica has been arraigned.
BRYAN: They arraigned her at the HOSPITAL?
ANYSSA: Yes, they did. Steven Bennett and Cliff Atkinson aren't being charged.
BRYAN: How come?
ANYSSA: Camilla decided that charging them wouldn't be good. They got Virgil on a plea deal. He is going to testify about Erica's wrongdoing. And he could have his record expunged after he sits in jail for six months, due to simple assault.
BRYAN: That is something, I guess.
ANYSSA: Erica asked for what she got, I have no sympathy for her.
BRYAN: Neither do I.
(The two continue their lunch)
Scene Four[]
Atchley Mansion
MRS. BUXLEY: Good morning, Mr. Harper. How are you?
MICHAEL: I am fine, Mrs. Buxley. Is Hannah around?
MRS. BUXLEY: Yes, she is in the back. She is swimming at the pool. One of the maids is taking care of Maggie.
MICHAEL: Very good, is it all right if I go back there?
MRS. BUXLEY: Of course, I think she would love that.
(Michael goes back and sees Hannah execute a perfect dive. Maggie is playing in the playpen with her favorite doll)
MICHAEL: You never lost it, all those years learning how to swim.
HANNAH: Dad! This is a surprise.
MICHAEL: I had to stop in and see you and that GORGEOUS granddaughter of mine!
HANNAH: She is in her playpen.
(Michael picks up his granddaughter.)
MICHAEL: Ohh, you are so pretty, little girl, just like your mommy.
(Maggie smiles and gurgles. Hannah comes up, drying herself with her towel)
HANNAH: You two look gorgeous!
MICHAEL: She looks like you were when you were small.
HANNAH: Oh, Dad.
MICHAEL: There's your dolly, baby. (He puts Maggie in her playpen)
HANNAH: What brings you by?
MICHAEL: I came to see Craig. Is he around?
(Enter Craig)
CRAIG: My ears are burning! Someone call my name?
MICHAEL (laughing): I did.
CRAIG: OK. Shall we go to the den?
MICHAEL: Lead the way. We'll see you later, darling.
CRAIG: We'll be all right, love.
(Hannah smiles at the two best men in her life.)
Scene Five[]
Logan Airport in Boston. Vanessa Harper and Luke Erickson are waiting for a friend of her's. There was a sign she was holding saying Joliette Manning.
LUKE: How do you know Joliette?
VANESSA: We were old friends. I went to art school and worked for a place in Hope Valley, New York. That is how I met Joliette. She and I palled around for a while.
LUKE: Have you kept up as much as you could?
VANESSA: As much as we could. With me in California, and Joliette in New York, it was not easy.
LUKE: You and her are great friends, eh?
VANESSA: Yes, we are. And....OH, there she is!
(Enter Joliette Manning, Vanessa's old friend. She is a beautiful woman, but would never guess that her family runs a worldwide corporation)
JOLIETTE: Vannie! Girl, you look MARVELOUS!
VANESSA: And so do you, Jolie. Wow, you look like you could be a model.
JOLIETTE: Deep down, I am still a nurse, though, honey. How's your sister, Megan?
VANESSA: Meggie is always doing fine. She and Carlton live in Chicago now, and she gave birth to their first child.
JOLIETTE: Oh, Vannie, that is wonderful. What is the child's name?
VANESSA: Carlton Benjamin Harper.
JOLIETTE: Awesome. And who is THIS?
VANESSA: Joliette Manning, this is Luke Erickson. The Harpers Falls borough president.
JOLIETTE: WOW, girl! You don't mess around with dating, do you?
(The three laugh while they go and get Joliette's luggage)
MID BREAK ANNOUNCEMENT[]
(Voice of Christel Khalil: "Harpers Falls: A New Beginning will continue in a moment here on ONtv.")
Scene Six[]
Atchley Mansion. Craig's den.
CRAIG: Drink, Michael?
MICHAEL: Please.
CRAIG: Is everything all right? How's Rose?
MICHAEL: She is fine. Mark and her are going on a cruise. They are leaving this weekend.
CRAIG: That is good.
MICHAEL: I am just wondering one thing. Will you make Hannah happy?
CRAIG: That is my one thing. I want to make sure Hannah is happy and never want for anything, not that she does anyway. One of the wealthiest families in the Northeast.
MICHAEL: Yes, that is one of our blessings, and also one of the biggest curses of being a Harper.
CRAIG: The Harper name is a major hurdle sometimes?
MICHAEL: Not always. It's like the Cabots; Lowells; and Kennedys. All three families cast a large shadow. The Harpers do the same thing.
CRAIG: I can live with that.
MICHAEL: I know you can, son. I have no doubt about that one. And you and Steven are a great support system for Hannah.
CRAIG: Then I have your blessing.
MICHAEL: That you do. Mine and Wendy's. I wish Hannah's mother had met you, but she's dead now.
(Craig shakes Michael's hand)
Scene Seven[]
On the road down to Harpers Falls. Vanessa hired a limo to drive them down to the borough of Harpers Falls.
JOLIETTE: I managed to find a job at the hospital.
LUKE: Which one?
JOLIETTE: Harper Memorial.
LUKE: Abby says she is looking forward to that.
JOLIETTE: Abby?
VANESSA: Abby Stevenson, the Chief of Staff.
JOLIETTE: I forgot. I am so tired, I can't even think.
VANESSA: No worries. We'll be home soon.
JOLIETTE: Where am I staying?
VANESSA: You're staying in a condo I found.
JOLIETTE: You found us a place?
VANESSA: Yes, I sometimes stay at the Harper Mansion, but I have a condo on Boston Avenue.
JOLIETTE: We're gonna be roommates.
VANESSA: Yep!
(Joliette and Vanessa are tickled pink about that.)
Scene Eight[]
Roger's apartment.
MATT: My god, Roger. That was a horrid blow.
ROGER: I had a feeling it would happen. I knew he would cheat on me with a guy, but not with a woman.
MATT: Who do you think did this?
ROGER: Mark received a letter about a job opportunity in London.
MATT: London? Uh, oh.
ROGER: Yeah, that is what I am thinking.
MATT: Do you have a sinking feeling about who did it?
ROGER: I have no doubt about it.
(Matt and Roger sit on his couch.)
Scene Nine[]
Boston Police Headquarters.
ERICA: How DARE you charge me with crimes that aren't even in this jurisdiction?!
UXBRIDGE: Why do you think Chaunsey and I were called into this?
ERICA: You bastards! When I get through with this, I will have your badges!
CHAUNSEY: You know, gents, the Harpers are right. How they can even CLAIM this creature as a Harper is beyond me!
(Erica seethes)
JACOBSON: She is a waste of space!
UXBRIDGE: It will be a PLEASURE to have her charged. Also to extradite her!
ERICA: WHAT?!
JACOBSON: Yes, you are going to be placed on trial in the UK as well!
(Erica is disgusted, but she secrets a cell phone. Behind her back, she programs a number.)
Scene Ten[]
Waltham, where Patricia is about to get into her car. A passerby sees her about to get in, and calls for her to get out of the way. The guy shoves Patricia away from the car, both roll into the nearby grassy area. The car explodes in a fireball! Patricia is shaken.
PATRICIA: Oh my god. Thank you.
MAN: I didn't want you to get killed. Someone wired your car.
PATRICIA: I think I know who did it.
MAN: Who?
PATRICIA: A flunky of my wicked niece, Erica Harper.
MAN: Oh, my GOD! You're Patricia Wheeler. You almost got killed.
(Man sees another character running. Patricia's rescuer takes off after him. The man shoulder tackles the bomber hard, and knocks him cold.)
PATRICIA: I am fine, officer. Had it not been for that kind young man who got me away from the car.
COP #1: Where is he?
(The rescuer returns, with the supposed bomber.)
PATRICIA: I remember this guy!
COP #2: Who is he?
PATRICIA: My niece's new assistant. David Pomeroy!
(David is glaring while he is cuffed. He is infuriated by being caught. The scene fades)
(Voice of John J. York: "On the next Harpers Falls: A New Beginning..."
DAVID (to Patricia): This was to get you for what you did to Erica!
JOLIETTE (to Vanessa): Erica nearly ruined my family's company.
ERICA (to David via Phone): You did your best, Dave. That is all that we can do!