Daily Updates

From: rika1@mindspring.com (Rika)
Subject: PC: Update, Thursday, June 4, 1998
Date: Thu, 04 Jun 1998 21:06:00 GMT
X-Server-Date: 4 Jun 1998 21:08:25 GMT

                          PORT CHARLES UPDATE
                         Thursday, June 4, 1998

TODAY'S STORYLINES:
-------------------
* "There are Many Ways to Screw People for Money"
* Happy Anniversary, Julie!
* Victor Spins a Yarn

"THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO SCREW PEOPLE FOR MONEY"
---------------------------------------------
(This was actually a quote from Kevin on Wednesday, not from today's
episode, but it's extremely appropriate to these scenes.)

Eve admits to Scott that what Lucy said is true - Eve used to be a
hooker.  She assumes that Scott won't want to see her anymore, and so
remarks that he's lucky to be out of her life.  He corrects her - he
doesn't want to be out of it.

Eve can't see why Scott is making light of Eve's past.  Compared to
the saintly Dom, Eve figures she's as far away from sainthood as you
can be without selling your soul to the devil.  Scott points out that
a lot of people didn't think he was good enough for Dom.  Eve thinks
her situation is much worse - "escort" is just a fancy name for
hooker, whore, or whatever other word you want to use.  Scott keeps
trying to explain why he's not upset; Eve points out that most guys
like to believe their girlfriends were virgins before they met them.
Scott points out that:  (1) he's been around the block (a number of
times), and (2) he's not "most guys" (now THERE is the understatement
of the week).

Eve asks if Scott wants an explanation.  Scott says it's her choice.
And if she's trying to push him away, it's not working.  Eve feels
that she wants - in fact, needs - to explain things to Scott.  She
lied right from the start of her internship.  She said she was from
out of town, but she actually grew up in Port Charles (on the VERY
wrong side of the tracks).  She lived with her mother and Shelly, her
younger sister.  Eve never knew who her father was.  Her mother
occasionally had boyfriends who helped out, but they never stuck
around.  As soon as they were old enough, Eve and Shelly worked as
waitresses on the docks.  Eve would go to school, work an 8-hour
shift, do homework, and get three hours of sleep.  Scott remarks (as
your updater had just finished remarking to the TV), "Good training
for your internship, huh?"  School was always easy for Eve, and she
got a scholarship and left town.

Then Shelly was badly burned (and disfigured) in a fire at work.  They
couldn't afford plastic surgery for her - no money and no medical
insurance.  Shelly was extremely self-conscious about her appearance.
Eve left school and came home to help take care of Shelly.  She held a
series of jobs, and then met a friend who had dropped out of school.
She was an escort, and talked Eve into trying it.  At first Eve
refused, but eventually she became an escort to pay for Shelly's
plastic surgery.  Scott asks if Eve didn't think she had another
choice (a funny question indeed coming from Mr. Scott "We Don't Have
Any Other Choice" Baldwin).  Eve's answer is an extremely mature one -
"There are always other choices....  I have to live with the decision
that I made."

Scott points out that everyone makes decisions they're not proud of.
One thing Eve *is* proud of is Shelly.  She is living a normal life
again (and Shelly and their mother moved to Austin while Eve was in
med school).  Eve had never told anyone she cared about this
story...... until now.  Eve is sorry Scott had to hear this from Lucy;
she isn't sure that she ever would have told him on her own, because
she's been trying to forget the whole thing.

Scott is silent.  Eve thinks he's just too shocked to kick her out, so
she'll just leave on her own.  He stops her, and tells her that Eve
isn't the first former hooker he's dated.  He briefly describes his
relationship with Bobbie Spencer (though he doesn't mention her name).
Eve shoots back, "Is this some kind of pattern with you?"  Scott tells
her that he has done some "lousy things for a buck."  Eve doubts they
could be as bad as sleeping with men for money, but that's only
because she doesn't know much about Scott's past.  He tells her the
Susan Moore story, pointing out that he took advantage of a dying
woman to steal money from a small child.  (And in your updater's
opinion, he wins the "whose past is worse" contest hands down.)

Eve smiles, strokes Scott's face, and murmurs, "Maybe I've met my
perfect match."  He touches her cheek and answers, "Maybe you have.
And we've got Lucy to thank for that."  Eve asks if Lucy knew about
Scott's other former-hooker relationship.  Scott assures her that Lucy
knows everyone's business.  So, asks Eve, why was it so important for
Lucy to tell Scott about Eve's past?  Scott explains that it provides
a possible motive for Eve as the murderer (though, let's face it,
that's only part of it).  Eve realizes that, if Garcia finds out about
this, he might agree that it's a good motive.  Scott points out that,
when you have skeletons in your closet, it's only a matter of time
before someone finds the key and opens the door.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, JULIE!
-------------------------
At the nurses' station, Karen hands Julie some test results for a
patient, and tells her she has a special delivery letter in her
mailbox.  Karen thinks Julie is super-human to still be working after
the attempt on her life.  Julie is afraid Eve will try to do something
to her.  Karen can't see why Julie would be afraid of Eve; Julie
reminds her of the vial of morphine in Eve's medical bag.  Karen
doesn't think Eve would be stupid enough to leave the evidence in her
bag.

Julie opens the letter and discovers in horror that it is (allegedly,
at least) from Greg Cooper.  It is a page with copies of six photos of
Julie, along with this note (all of which was typed, including the
signature):  "Happy Anniversary!  It was a year ago we met.  Though
our time together was brief, I was the best you'll ever get.  Greg
Cooper."  (Not just a threatening letter, but a RHYMING threatening
letter!)

Julie wonders how Cooper got the pictures.  While Julie rants, Karen
thinks in practical terms.  She calls the police, and wonders aloud
whether or not Cooper might have escaped.  Julie says Cooper had
better not come after her - if he does, she'll cut off his head first
and ask questions later.  (Now THERE is a statement she may live to
regret, if Cooper turns out to be one of the murder victims.)

A bit later, Julie is surrounded by Frank, Joe, and Karen.  Karen
reports that the mental hospital won't tell them if Cooper's been
releasd for confidentiality reasons.  Frank asks if Julie can remember
the circumstances around any of the photos being taken.  She notices
that, in one photo, she's wearing a coat Frank gave her for Christmas.
This seems strange, since Cooper has been locked up since before then.
Frank thinks Cooper has to be out, unless he has someone on the
outside helping him.  Joe asks who would be sick enough to do that -
Frank points out that "some fellow psychopath" might.

Garcial arrives and tells the assemblage that Cooper is locked up in
the mental ward and is near-comatose.  They're not impressed - he
faked that state once before.  Garcia assures them he has been under
constant observation (yeah, right.  If I were the interns, after their
experiences with Cooper, I'd be SOOOO ready to believe that.  Not.)
Garcia thinks the letter could be the work of just about any nut who
remembered the one-year anniversary of the hostage crisis.  (That is,
any nut with access to six photos of Julie).  Or, Garcia continues, it
might be the work of someone trying to make Julie look innocent.
Julie is angry that Garcia suspects her of doing this herself, but
Garcia points out, "That's *not* what I said."  Joe explains that
someone is planting clues; Karen agrees that someone is setting Julie
up.  And whoever it is knows a lot about all of them.  They got a pen
just like Julie's (updater's note - that doesn't explain Julie's
fingerprints on the pen, but I suppose the person could have gotten
Julie to touch the pen at some point before the murder), killed
Devlin, got Chris's stethoscope, killed Grace, drugged Julie's water,
and put the morphine in Eve's bag.  So, they realize, whoever it is is
probably someone they see every day.

VICTOR SPINS A YARN
--------------------
Kevin and Lucy arrive home from Katherine Bell's memorial service.
Kevin remarks that funerals are reminders of what's important in life.
They need to clear the air.  He was furious with her for telling Scott
about Eve's past (Lucy's retort - "furious" is an understatement).  He
realizes, though, that she did it out of concern for Scott and Serena.
Gratitude for his understanding shines in her eyes; she starts to
thank him, but he interrupts her - that doesn't mean he thinks she was
right to do it, nor that he thinks that Eve is the killer.

Lucy insists that Eve *is* the killer.  Kevin remarks that, even if
that's so, the killer is still at large (which is a follow-up to an
EXCELLENT point he made to Lucy yesterday - if she's so convinced Eve
is the killer, why hasn't she gone to the police with her evidence?).
Kevin is terrified that, just like in his book, someone might try to
kill Lucy.  He doesn't want her to emcee the Nurses' Ball this year,
since in his book her character is killed there.  Lucy insists that
she has to emcee it, because of the importance of raising money for
AIDS research to help people like Robin.  Kevin wonders if she's
willing to die for the cause.  Lucy insists that she's not going to
die.  Kevin gives up angrily - "Fine, throw the party, die in the
process, and maybe next year we'll throw a party in memory of you."
(I don't think Lucy realizes how deeply Kevin was affected by her
near-death from the poisoning; he has a right to want her to be
cautious after living through that.)  Lucy insists that Eve won't try
anything - and Kevin bellows, "Would you for one second consider the
possibility that Eve may not be the killer!"  Kevin is afraid that the
killer may be trying to get revenge on Kevin by copycatting the book -
if so, the best revenge would be to kill the person Kevin loves most
in the world.  Lucy thanks him for his concern, but insists that she's
emceeing the ball.  She promises to be careful, but Kevin tells her
that isn't good enough.  The ball is three weeks away, so he has three
weeks to find the killer.  (Ummm..... I think that would be more like
2 1/2 weeks, Kevin, so it's even worse than you think.)

Victor comes out into the living room and is surprised to see Kevin
surrounded by files.  Kevin explains - they're old case files; he's
going through them so he can find the killer before the Nurses' Ball.
(In the background, Lucy shakes her head.)  Victor wonders what one
thing has to do with the other; Kevin points out that he has treated
some violent, disturbed people, and one of them may be trying to get
back at Kevin for something.  Victor:  "That doesn't say much for your
skill as a psychiatrist."

Lucy jumps in before Kevin has a chance to rap out a snappy comeback
(too bad; I bet it would have been a good one) and asks if Victor
needed anything.  No, he replies, but there's something he can do to
help - he can save Kevin from going through those files, because it's
a waste of time.  It seems clear to Victor that, since the murder
scenarios and victims have all been based on characters in the book,
the murderer is probably also based on a character in the book.  Lucy
smugly points out that Eve is in the book.  Victor isn't sure about
that.  And right now he needs some yarn, in order to help catch the
killer.  Ah, here's Kevin's chance for that snappy comeback:  "The old
trip-wire and can of paint on the door trick?  That's ingenious!"
Victor blithely ignores Kevin and asks Lucy about the yarn.  She
thinks she might have some left over from an art project of Serena's.
Kevin asks Lucy to "look after" Victor for a few minutes because "I
need time to think."  Victor assures Kevin, "Take all the time you
like; when you're finished, a dead end will still be a dead end."
Victor heads out of the room, singing cheerfully, as Kevin glares at
him and Lucy follows Victor, biting back a smile.

A little later, Victor displays a poster board with all the characters
in the book in one column, and information about that character which
is relevant to each of the murders (and Julie's poisoning) to date in
additional columns.  He has used the yarn to connect suspects to
crimes.  Lucy notes that Kevin's name is at the top; does that mean
he's the prime suspect?  Victor confirms this - he thinks the facts
add up to that conclusion.

--------------------------
by Rika, Thursday updater