Deadly Embrace

It's been a long time, Chris.

Two, three years.

Three years, two months.

As I recall when you walked away from here,

you made me a promise.

Do you remember that, Chris?

I guess it's been so long you've forgotten.

I didn't forget.

So why are you here, Chris?

Just a friendly visit?

I didn't do anything!

You gotta believe me.

I did believe you three years ago.

That nearly cost me my job.

I still believe you didn't kill that girl.

Even though all the evidence said you did.

But now you're here again.

Two more people are dead.

Do you think I should keep on believing you, Christopher?

I know it looks bad.

Bad?

I got two corpses stretched out in the morgue.

I didn't do it, I'm not a killer!

Then explain how it is

that you were the only other person in the house

at the time of the killings.

Your fingerprints are all over the murder weapon.

No one else had even set foot in the house

for the past two months,

except for the two victims.

You and...

Michelle.

I'll give you one last hearing.

Start at the beginning.

During finals week at Valley College,

Stewart Moreland came to give a lecture

on building a corporate empire from scratch.

I got a chance to talk with him after the lecture.

We got along really well.

Go on, Chris.

Well, he knew I was looking for work

over summer break.

So he offered me a job as houseman

for his home in Beverly Hills.

He told me he was away most of the time,

his wife could use a hand.

Naturally, I jumped at the offer.

Oh, you startled me.

Um, the door was unlocked, so I thought I...

Just...

You must be the new houseman.

Chris, is it?

Yes, Chris. Chris Thompson.

I'm sorry I'm late, Mrs. Moreland.

I can get to work right away.

That's alright.

Why don't you take your things

and go around back to the guesthouse

and unpack and relax for a while?

You must be exhausted.

Thank you.

Hi, this is Chris, thanks for calling.

Please leave your name and number at the beep,

and I'll get back to you.

Thank you.

Mrs. Moreland.

- Would the room be adequate for you'?

- Oh, yeah, this will be just fine.

Thank you, Mrs. Moreland.

- I'm going to be having dinner in about an hour.

Would you like to join me?

Yeah, that sounds great.

See you in an hour.

Great.

Oh, Mrs. Moreland, I was wondering...

Call me Charlotte.

Okay, Charlotte.

I was wondering what the phone number here is.

747-7973.

So, I'll set a place for you.

Thank you.

I don't give two shits

about those goddamn redwood trees.

Take care of it.

Look, I want that permit.

Just handle it.

Yeah, fine. Bye.

Jesus, you'd think those bastards

would know who I am by now.

I'm sorry, baby, I didn't mean to be yelling.

It's okay.

I know you didn't mean anything.

Hello?

- Hi, honey, miss me that much already, huh?

Who is this'?

It's me!

- Ugh, Chris, you really scared me.

- Oh, come on, I didn't mean to scare ya.

I'm sorry.

You did.

Does this mean we can't do it

over the phone tonight before I go to bed?

You pervert.

- Listen, I wanna give you my phone number.

You got a pen?

Yeah, go ahead.

Okay, it's 747-7973.

7973?

Yup!

Oh, look, I gotta go.

Charlotte invited me for dinner.

I haven't even cleaned up yet.

Charlotte?

- Mrs. Moreland, she told me to call her Charlotte.

- Oh, well, you tell her to call you Mr. Thompson.

I Will.

I gotta go, okay?

I'll talk to you tomorrow?

- Okay. - Bye.

Bye.

- Hi. - Hi.

- I'm glad you decided to join me.

Come on in.

Thanks.

- We're networking you too hard, are we?

No.

- Damn it, Evan, I want that permit.

What the fuck am I paying you $275 an hour for?

To keep your ass out of jail.

And for that wise-ass comment, it's now $300 an hour.

Seriously.

What's it gonna take to get Uncle Sam

to give us a permit to clear some of that

lousy brush up there'?

- Listen, ifs not gonna be that easy.

There's a lot of tree people out there,

and they're gonna fight this thing all the way.

- Well then find out what tree people cost

and we'll buy a few of them.

- I'll see what I can do at 300 bucks an hour.

Yeah.

Keep me posted, huh'?

- This ought to just about do it.

- I think that would be just fine.

Why don't you wash up?

I'll make you some dinner.

Ooh, that sounds good to me.

- She doesn't answer this damn phone pretty soon,

I might just arrange a little business trip this weekend

for the two of us.

Hi.

Oh, hi?

That's the kind of greeting I get?

A guy worked hard all day long and he calls a little woman

and all he gets is an “Oh, hi?"

Yeah.

Yeah, I'll be home Friday afternoon.

Probably in time for dinner.

But listen, I gotta get out of there

first thing Monday morning,

I'm closing that big Tahoe deal.

But I'll see you Friday.

Bye.

Hey.

Don't look so glum.

You know I've gotta pacify the old lady.

At least 'til I figure out what I'm gonna do with her.

I know.

- You're still my number one girl, you know that.

Anyway, come Monday, it'll just me and you in the redwoods.

- Okay, let me see if I've got this right.

Center Stage Studios, 8255 North Vista, 1pm.

Now, don't be late.

And good luck.

Okay, I'll call you later

and tell you how it goes.

Talk to you later, bye.

Okay, bye-

There's my luscious baby lady.

Look, I know you're pissed about Charlotte, so am I.

Hell, if things were easy, they'd be different.

- You said you were gonna talk about with Evan.

Those goddamn lawyers.

All they want is their piece of the pie.

You've gotta live by your own law.

- Stewart, I don't wanna pressure you,

but I need to know where I stand.

- You don't know where you stand?

Maybe.

But I want more.

I wanna belong to you.

You do belong to me.

You know what I mean.

Yeah, I suppose.

It's just that if I divorced her,

I don't think she could handle it.

Listen, I'll talk to Evan in the morning.

Maybe he can work something out.

If not, what the hell, I'll sell her to the Arabs.

Hey, I'm not serious.