TyTreadway.com - the Official Site

August 7 and 8, 2001

Transcribed by Pammus

Colin's Will Reading

Cherryvale Inn

The table is arranged with place settings for each person invited to the will reading. Nora, Sam and Lanie enter the room, and Nora immediately feels uneasy. Sam picks up the place card with his name on it as Lanie scans the table. Nora stops at the head of the table.

Nora: This is exactly how it was the last time.

Colin's Voice: Nora… It's me, Nora. I'm here. (chuckles evilly)

Nora covers her ears to block out the voice, but she can't because it is in her head. Lanie rushes over to Nora, who moves away from the table, still covering her ears.

Lanie: Nora? Are you all right? Nora?

Sam: Nora, whatever you're seeing or hearing, we heard nothing.

Nora moans to herself.

Sam: It's not real. It's not real.

{next scene}

A hand checks off the names of Nora Buchanan, Sam Rappaport and Lanie MacIver from a list of the invitees.

{next scene}

Nora and Sam restlessly pace the room as Lanie has sat down in a chair near the entrance. Will and Jennifer enter the room.

Will: Hey.

Everyone turns to them, startled by their entrance.

Sam: Hi.

Will: What, no one else is here?

Sam: No, not even Colin's lawyer, and it's almost eight o'clock. (he looks at his watch impatiently)

(outside the room)

Lindsay and RJ hurry down the hallway together. RJ stops Lindsay before she goes into the room.

RJ: Okay, okay, now, you go in first. We don't wanna be too obvious.

Lindsay hesitates, and then turns to enter the room.

Nora: (suspicious) What are you doing here?

Lindsay: (still hesitating) Well, if my family is so… set on participating with this thing, I should be with them.

RJ makes his entrance.

RJ: Well, well, well, déjà vu all over again. Wait, we just need MacIver, but (snaps fingers) he's dead. (chuckles)

Nora: (looking uncomfortable, glances to Sam) What time is it, Sam?

A clock begins to chime and everyone exchanges nervous glances. The same hand that had checked off the names presses PLAY on a VCR remote, and Colin's voice echoes through the room.

Colin's voice: Well, hello friends and lovers. (Everyone is shocked at hearing his voice, and turns to the television screen on which Colin's face is being displayed) Just wait 'til you see what I've got in store for ya this time.

Camera focuses on Nora, fades back, and then on Lindsay as it fades to black.

{next scene}

Everyone is too shocked to say anything as Colin's image sits silently on the screen, a smirk across his face.

Jennifer: Oh my god, it's Colin.

Colin's voice: Is everybody comfy? I said, (voice gets louder) is everybody comfy? Anybody need a drink, powder your nose? Anything? Nothing, no? Well all right then, let's get this party started. If you're watching this video, then I must be dead. Sure hope it was a lovely funeral. Oh, by the way, before I forget, you may want to take a look around because I'm pretty sure one of you here tonight is responsible for my current condition. In fact, I'd bet my life on it. But don't worry - don't you worry, I'm not going to hold it against you. And just to show you that there aren't any hard feelings, I've arranged this little gathering in the event of my untimely demise. You see, I'm a man who likes to be prepared. Now every one of you here tonight was important to me, in one way or another. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about any of you in my will. And you can bet your sweet bottom I haven't forgotten what any of you has done.

Lindsay: (steps toward the television set) No! Stop!

{next scene}

Lindsay: Stop it, stop it! (RJ pauses the tape) I don't know about the rest of you, but I refuse to be intimidated by a dead man.

Nora: Intimidated, Lindsay, what is it that you're afraid of?

RJ: Is this kind of will even legal?

Colin's Lawyer: Oh, it's legal. Painfully legal, right Sam? (Sam nods regretably)

RJ: (to Sam) Do you know this man, Sam?

Sam: (distastefully) Randall Truitt, everyone. My occasional courtroom opponent.

Lindsay: You're an attorney?

Truitt: Colin MacIver's attorney.

RJ: Oh, so you're responsible for all of this?

Truitt: As per the signed, sealed, and by the way, completely legal instructions of my client.

Lanie: Including the invitations written on Colin's letterhead?

Truitt: Yes. He thought that it would give the proceedings the personal touch.

Will: (disgusted) Isn't that kind of sick?

Truitt: It's not job to judge the last wishes of the deceased, just to carry them out. And to preside the dissolution of his estate.

Lanie: (astonished) Estate? All he had were debts - and my house!

Sam: Buried assets, Randall? Life insurance policy, perhaps? Double indemnity?

Truitt: A step ahead, Counselor.

RJ: Is he going to divide this amongst us?

Truitt: Well, that's not all together clear. Let's go to the video tape, shall we? (unpauses tape)

Colin: I'm going to start with the sweet, young.. thing amongst you. My darling, little niece, Jen. Poor Jen. Just when we were starting to get so.. ah.. close. Who knows how close it woulda gone if I was still there, Jen. (Jen looks uncomfortable)

{next scene}

Colin: Dear, sweet, lovely, desirable Jen.

Sam: (holding Jen's shoulders) You don't have to listen to this sweetheart.

Jennifer: No, I'm fine. (Lindsay comes up to touch her shoulder comfortingly) He can't ever hurt me again.

Colin: I Know how much family means to you, Jen, so I left to you some of my favorite family snapshots. Daddy, mommy, big brother, and the little sister who destroyed them all.

Lindsay: YOU know that you're not responsible for anything, don't you, you know that?

Colin: Which brings me to you, Will. You thought you could wipe me out, didn't you? But you didn't. You are so out of your league, little boy. You see Will, just before my death, I left behind some instructions for an agent of mine to tweak some stocks. I call it 'pump and dump', Will. I built up the stocks for the suckers, and then I cash out and leave the suckers holding the bag. I'm sure the company's familiar to you, Will. Very familiar.

Will: Dammit.

Colin: You may wanna check your portfolio there, Mr. Wall Street. (in a mocking tone) Not quite as solid as it used to be. (laughs)

Will: (under his breath) Son of a bitch.

Colin: Which brings me to you, Sam. My former brother in law, with whom I've shared so much. Your wife, for instance.

Lindsay: There, you happy now, Nora?

Sam moves to comfort Nora.

Colin: To Sam, I leave behind a collection of memorabilia. Just a, just a few things I had laying around the house.

Truitt hands Sam a large manila folder. Sam opens it, and pulls out the framed lock of Nora's hair that Colin once had in his shrine.

Nora: Oh, god he's a monster.

Sam throws it away.

Colin: Maybe you can share that with Bo. Which brings me to you, Lanie. Or is it Mrs. Bo Buchanan now? To my ex-wife, I leave behind a valuable work of literature. I'm sure it'll come in handy any day now, when Bo gets to know the real you, just like I did.

Truitt hands her a box, and she lifts off the top. Inside, there is a book entitled "Divorce for Morons".

Nora: (rushes to Lanie and grabs the box) It's okay. He's just jealous of the profound happiness you've found.

Colin: Which leaves the three people whose lives touched mine and each others in the most unusual way. RJ Gannon. Lindsay. And you, Nora. To the three of you, I leave the best of all! The truth.

{next scene}

Lindsay: (terrified he might actually spill the truth) Colin was a liar! We can't believe anything he says.

Nora: Why don't we hear what he has to said - say before we judge him?

Colin: RJ Gannon, to you, I leave a fashion statement. God knows you need one. Sure hope it's your size, (Truitt hands RJ a small box) but if it's not I'm sure you'll be able to exchange it soon enough.

RJ: (chuckles bitterly as he peers at the box's contents) Very funny, Colin, but you see the joke's on you, because I'm right here, and you're in hell. (throws opened box toward the television set, and it lands open, with the contents revealed: a Statesville uniform)

Colin: Better get used to it, RJ! You see, RJ, just by showing up at this little gathering, and the last gathering, you have everyone here wondering what our association was, including one relentless police commissioner. And when the truth comes out, RJ, oh man isn't everyone going to be surprised! Well, except you, Lindsay.

Lindsay: (turning around adamantly) I don't know what he's talking about.

Colin: (patronizingly) And don't say you don't know I'm talking about when it's obvious to everyone that You do. TO you, Lindsay, I leave behind something extra special. Because I'm sure without you, I wouldn't be where I am today. Counselor? Now, I don't mean to "needle" you, Lindsay, but I just wanted to "inject" a pointed reminder of our time spent together.

Lindsay opens the small jewelry box Truitt has handed her and pales. It's a needle. Nora stares accusingly at it, and then at Lindsay herself.

{next scene}

Lindsay: (throws down the needle) What does it mean?

Truitt: I couldn't say.

Nora: I can. So what Colin's saying - Colin's saying that you're the one that injected me with that needle and erased my memories, and that's the proof.

Lindsay: No, that's the - it's proof of nothing except of a psychotic sense of humor.

Nora: That's it. That's it - we could - can we test this? (looks to Lanie hopefully, thoughts moving through her mind faster than she can verbalize them) Can we check for evidence and stuff? Can we check for blood sampling or any of that stuff?

Lanie: (kneeling down to examine the needle) They won't find anything, Nora.

Nora: Why - why not?

Lanie: It's not evidence. It's a fresh needle, it's never been used on you or anyone else.

Nora: Oh, god.

Sam: (holding her arms firmly) Come on, Nora, Colin's had his last sick little joke, let's go home.

Nora: But you know I'm right, right? You know that Colin was telling the truth, that Lindsay was the one that pumped all that poison into my veins?

Sam: Yes, yes it was.

Lindsay: Now wait a minute here!

Sam: But it doesn't prove anything, Nora, and you know that. It's a vague, symbolic statement by a totally discredited witness. It doesn't prove Lindsay was guilty of anything.

Jennifer: Thank god.

Lindsay: We shouldn't have come here. Will, get your sister away from this farce, and we are all going to bury Colin for good.

Will: Um, okay. Dad, I'll catch up with you later. (He and Jennifer leave)

Lindsay: So once again, Nora, you are trying to blame me - and I have to say I'm starting to lose my sense of humor.

Nora: (to herself more than anyone else) I was sure - I was so sure that he… was going to leave me the truth. And he left me nothing.

Truitt: (comes back into the room and approaches Nora) That's not entirely true. Dr. MacIver left another tape, and it has your name on it. (offers the tape to Nora, and everyone stares at it)

{next scene}

Nora takes the tape.

Lindsay: Haven't we had enough of the Colin show for one night?

Nora: (suspiciously) Getting worried again, Lindsay?

Lindsay: You wanna be tortured from the grave one more time, you be my guest.

Sam: You know, she has a point, Nora. You sure you wanna see that?

Nora: If I have a chance to find out what really happened to me, I have to take it, Sam.

Sam: Okay.

Nora hands Truitt the tape, and he puts it into the VCR. Colin's image reappears on the screen, this time dressed in a tux and lighting candles.

Colin: This one is just for you, Nora. What I leave you in death is what I gave you in life, and what I never got in return. Love. My undying love. And my promise to you, Nora, that no matter what this looks like, this is not the end. Only the beginning. Good bye Scarlet. (presses a kiss to his fingers and extends his hand toward the camera - and toward Nora.)

Truitt: And that's the end of the video taping. Now, I have to step out for a moment to get some… files, so if you'll excuse me. (leaves room again)

Lindsay: (overcome with laughter) That's it? That's what Colin left you? A love letter that would embarrass a teenager?

RJ: (moves her aside) Lindsay, come on.

Lindsay: (still laughing) I'm sorry.

Sam: (to Nora as she turns to face him) That's the last time that pervert takes advantage of any of this. That's the one good thing of all of this - we're through with Colin MacIver for good.

Lanie: (turns around) Are we? Colin's lawyer just said he had investments and an insurance policy. So, where is his estate going?

A new voice startles everyone as a man half-jogs into room, breathless and almost cheery.

Troy: Hey everyone, sorry I'm late. Hope I didn't miss anything. Any messages for me while I was gone?