Usual disclaimers.  None of the characters belong to me.  This is my very first literary attempt.  I decided on the title "One Warm October" because at the time I was writing this story, it was unusually warm for that time of the year in Chicago.

For people just discovering Early Edition,  let me first tell you a little bit about the characters.

Gary Hobson:  A 35 year old kind-hearted man who, for the last four years, has been getting tomorrow's newspaper today,  left outside his door by an orange cat.  He constantly struggles to prevent the disasters he reads about.  He doesn't think he will ever lead a normal life.

Toni Brigatti:  A perky career cop with an attitude, who has caught Gary's eye.  They constantly fight over nothing.  She does not know about the paper.

Chuck Fishman:   Gary's former restaurant partner at McGuinty's and best friend.  He knows about the paper and would love to have his hands on it to make money with.  Gary does not believe the paper should be used for personal gain.  He makes sure that Chuck stays away from the paper.

Jade:   A former jewel thief who went by the name of Amber.  Gary and Toni met her on a Lake Michigan cruise ship, while Toni was on assignment.  She is now reformed and the wife of Chuck Fishman.

Addison Polk:  A lawyer friend of Toni, loaned out to Gary.  All business and no personality.

Paul Armstrong:  100% cop.  Gary drives him crazy.

Winslow:  90% jokester - 10% cop.  Can be depended upon in need.

Erica:  Former girl friend.  One lost year.

So much for the characters.  The story is G-rated.
 

                       Synopsis

Taking advantage of warm and dry weather conditions, so unlike Chicago most of the time,  Gary, Toni, Chuck, and Jade decide to do something different.  They decide to have fun.   Enough said,  I hope you enjoy this story.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

One Warm October
by Ms. Marylou

              Chapter One

Gary jumped out of bed in a very good mood.  There was nothing in the paper that needed his attention.  He took his bike off the rack and could not believe how dusty it was.  He relished the fact that he would actually have some time away from the paper.  Toni showed up just as he was checking the condition of the bike.  He spun the wheels and flexed the handle until he was sure the bike was roadworthy.

Gary:  Toni!   Hi!

Toni:  Ah!  You finally learned my first name.

Gary:  Very funny.

Toni:  I hope you know where we're going.

Gary:  Actually, I don't.  Chuck wanted to plan the route.  Last 
  night he brought out this huge map showing all of the bike
  trails on the Prairie Path.  It is quite a long ride out there.
  Since the weather is so pleasant, we should really make a
  stop at the Morton Arboretum.  What do you think?  The
  fall colors are really at their peak now.
 
Toni:  I'm all for it!

Chuck and Jade had been in town for about a week.  Chuck came back to Chicago to work on a TV pilot being shot here.

Gary was still amazed at Jade's turnabout from Amber.  Chuck and Jade seemed very happy together.  When Chuck suggested that the four of them make some attempt to get out of the city before the snow flies, Gary was very conducive to the idea.  The weather was certainly perfect for a bike ride that day, and it would be an ideal way to get closer to Toni.

Gary and Toni gathered up what they needed for the trip and met Jade and Chuck downstairs.   Chuck and Gary put the bikes in the van.  Gary got in the drivers seat and they started off.

The further out they drove, the prettier it got.  With November coming up fast and knowing that the temperature in Chicago could drop fast at any time, Gary was fully taking advantage of this unseasonal warm spell.

Chuck pulled out his map.

Gary:  Where's our first stop?

Chuck:  Glen Ellyn.  I would say we are getting close.

Gary:  Did any of you remember to bring any money for the tolls?  I
  am running out of change.

Toni and Jade:      Here!

Later at the woods they drove around for awhile and then got out of the car.  The arboretum has every kind of native tree in its most beautiful orange, red and yellow colors.  Gary's happy contentment is written all over his face.  After spending an hour in the woods,  Chuck spreads out his map again.  They decide to head for the Prairie Path.

Chuck: OK, folks.  Our next destination is Wheaton, two exits from here.

They get back in the car and head down the road.  Riding on woodland trails far away from his newspaper duties gave Gary a chance to at least for one afternoon, enjoy himself.  It also it gave him a chance to reflect.

Gary really liked Toni.  It brought out feelings that he hadn't felt in a long time.  Even in his relationship with Erica, which lasted almost a year, his feelings were never that deep with her.  At first he thought that his relationship with Erica would improve if he told her about the paper, but  actually it made it worse.  She showed no interest in what Gary had to do in order to keep people from dangerous situations. Whether or not these strangers would live or die meant very little to Erica.  Erica's response to his predicament always bothered him.  Remembering back to one of the worst times in his life, when he actually caused the death of a person,  he couldn't even go to Erica for sympathy because he didn't feel comfortable enough with her to let go of his feelings.  He didn't know it at the time, but he now understands that when he walked out of the carpet store, after almost dying there,  it was at that moment that Erica decided not to invest any more time with him.

Erica had wanted someone who didn't take any risks.  Most of all she wanted a suitable father for her son.  Paul Armstrong's wife, Meredith, on the other hand,  didn't like the dangerous situations that policemen dealt with every day, but she stood by her husband, loving him too much to even think of leaving.  Even though Paul was always bugging him,  he did have a certain respect for him, and envied the fact that Paul and Meredith had such a good marriage.

 Gary knew that eventually he would have to tell Toni about the paper.  Maybe, maybe not.  He didn't want to think about that now.  He just wanted to get together with Toni on a regular basis.

It was still light, but the merry group decided they should head for home before they wound up lost somewhere in the woods.  Chuck and Gary put the bikes back into the van, and the now tired but happy group headed back for the city.
 
Gary did not want Toni to leave right away when they got back, so he made some suggestions about where they might have dinner.

Toni:   How about my place!

Gary:  OK, that sounds great!  Wonderful idea!

Toni:  How would you like one of my fantastic meals, the kind that I
  hardly ever cook?
 
Gary:  Hey, I could go for that!

They arrived at McGinty's Pub  around 7:00 and when they got out of the car, it seemed strange that it was so dark and yet so warm, not your usual bone-chilling 7:00 in Chicago.

Toni:  I wish it was always this warm at this time of year.

Gary:  Yes, I could go for some global warming during the winter.

Toni:  Me too.  Wouldn't it be nice to be able to go bike riding
          in  December and January instead of being cooped up
          all winter.
 
Gary laughed.

Gary:  Toni, for the time being,  why don't I bring our bikes
  upstairs.  Then you won't have to drag your's here for the
  next bike ride with me.

Toni:  Great!  I never realized that bike riding was that much fun.  I
  would love to do this again.
 
Gary carries the bikes upstairs, the happiest he has been in a long time.  He sets the bikes down outside the door next to the window.  Before he unlocks the door, he turns around and looks at Toni, an intense expression on his face.

Toni:  What?

Gary:  Oh, nothing.  I was just looking at you.

Toni:  You were staring at me.

Gary:  No,  I was looking at you, not staring.

Toni:  There is a big difference between looking and staring.

Gary:  Tell me the difference.

Toni:  You're pushing it.

Gary starts to smile thinking back to the time in the hotel when Toni was cleaning off the wound on his hand.  Toni has the same look on her face now that she had then,  when Gary informed her she was pushing it.

Gary opens the door and Toni follows close behind him.

Gary:  Can I get you some water?

Toni:  Yes, I am very thirsty.

Gary:  So am I.  I am very thirsty too.

Gary goes to the sink and pours them each some water.  He hands Toni her glass and takes a sip of water out of his glass.  Then he puts his glass down and walks closer to Toni.  He turns off the bright lights.  A soft light is coming from the buildings outside.  It is also unusually quiet considering that the windows were left open.  Toni sort of chokes on her water and then sets down her glass too.  She looks into his eyes, smiling.  Gary reaches over to Toni and puts his arms around her.  His heart is pounding. She closes her eyes.  He remembers what a good kisser she is.  Before long they both are hugging and kissing one another.  Gary takes Toni by the hand and starts to walk out of the kitchen.  Toni backs up and accidently knocks the phone off the wall.  She reaches to pick it up.

Gary:  Let it go.  Let it go.

He takes the phone out of her hand and lets it dangle off the hook.

They continue walking.  They are half-way across the room.

MMMMMMEEEEEEOOOOOOWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!

The silence was broken!

Gary:  CAT!!!!!  You are not going to ruin my evening!

Gary glares at the prowling animal.  He grabs the cat and puts him back in the kitchen.  Then the cat runs back to where Gary and Toni are.

Gary:   Cat!!!!!

The cat meows louder.

Toni:  What is the matter?  Is something  wrong?

Gary glances at the paper, his heart sinking.  Why, why!  Paper, please leave me alone.  Not tonight!

There on the front page,  an article describes the horror of a fire killing an entire family. Gary winces.  He could ignore the article, but that would haunt him later. Gary tries to think of how he could do two things at once.

Toni:  What is it?

Gary:  Toni, would you mind very much going ahead.  I'll join you in
  about an hour?

Toni:  Why!

Gary:  Please,  I can't say what it is, but there is something that
  I must do first.

That is all it takes to set Toni off.  What started out as a perfect day is ending in disaster.  The more Gary tries to explain himself, the madder Toni gets.  Before storming out of the loft she lowers her voice and looks right at Gary.

Toni:  It's me.  I know its me.  And don't tell me any more wild stories   about your duties.  I don't want to hear it!
 
Before Gary can open his mouth, Toni is gone.  He almost catches up to her on the stairs, but she breaks loose and runs to the car leaving dust flying in her trail.  Gary stands flatfooted wishing that he had handled the paper conflict better.

Reluctantly, Gary grabs the paper, puts it in his back pocket and takes off so he can save these people.  The fire is supposed to take place a couple of blocks from McGuinty's so he decides to walk there.  He rings the bell of a small house behind an apartment building.  He tells the woman who answers the door that her son is playing with matches in the bathroom.  The lady gives Gary a strange look, but decides to check anyway.

Woman: I told you not to play with matches!

Gary glances at the paper to make sure the fire article is gone. He takes off immediately so he doesn't have to explain to anyone how he knew about the fire. Then Gary slowly walks back home.  The air is still dry and warm, but all Gary can think about is how the paper has ruined his life.
 
 

                    Chapter Two
 

The following day at work Toni spends most of the time reading police reports and staring into space.  Winslow, the  well-meaning office buffon, walks up to her with a big grin all set to crack one of his jokes.  He notices that Toni has a very sad look about her and decides this is no time to tease her about her love life.  Winslow limits his conversation with Toni to just "hi" and then wanders off.  He passes Addison Polk who also notices that Toni is not too happy.  Addison stops by to talk to Toni.
.

Addison: Hi, Toni.  Is anything bothering you?  Anything I can help with?

Toni:  No, not unless you can make me into a more likeable person.

Addison: Toni, what did you do?  It can't be all that bad.

Toni:  Oh, yes.  Be truthful. Am I so undesirable that a man would
  break a date with me in the middle of a date?  This guy
  does this every time we go out.
 
Toni,  knowing that she isn't making any sense, stands to leave.

Addison: Toni, sit down.

Toni:  I'm a total loser in the dating game.  I'm over 30.  I have no
  one and I probably never will have anyone.

Addison: OK, who is this man?

Toni:  You met him, Gary Hobson.

Addison is surprised, remembering the Gary Hobson incident very well. It takes him back one year.  At the time of the arrest he could have sworn that Gary was 100% guilty of killing Frank Scanlon.  Gary was at the crime scene and yet he somehow proved to all, that not only was he not guilty, but that someone in the police department handling the case was involved in the murder. Something had always bothered Addison.  When Gary had done such a good job of solving the murder, why did he make up such an unbelievable story about a cat bringing him tomorrow's newspaper.  He could have made up a much more realistic story.

Addision: What did he do to make you feel so bad?

Toni:  We can never seem to have a normal date.  Even putting that
  aside, he does some of the strangest things.  He always seems
  to know what is going to happen before it happens.  He even
  saved my life once, at a great danger to himself.  He is
  basically a very kind person.

Addison: Tell me how he saved your life.

Toni:  Did anyone tell you about the case I was working on with Gary?

Addison: No.

Toni:           I was trying to catch a jewel thief that I thought was hiding
  on the roof of the hotel he was staying at.  I went up there
  looking for the suspect.  I was almost knocked off the
  building by an open door that was blowing back and forth in
  the wind.  I was dangling from a ledge when Gary ran up there
  to save me.  How could he have known I was in danger up
  there?

Addison: Tell me more.

Toni:  And you should hear the stories that Paul Armstrong tells me.
  Paul will be on a police call and Gary will be at the scene even
  before the police arrive.

Addison: It could be a coincidence.

Toni:  I don't know.  What freaks Paul out is that if Gary tells him
  something about an impending incident, he is always right, not
  just part of the time, but all of the time.

Addison: Hmmm.

Toni:  Addison!   Gary knows details about actual numbers and
  precise locations ahead of time.

Toni gives Addison more details about Gary's mysterious behavior.  Addison's ears grow bigger and bigger.  As Gary's lawyer, he knows he cannot reveal to Toni what Gary told him at the jail.  All he can do is to listen to Toni and find a way to help her.  By now, Gary's story about the paper does not seem that far fetched to Addison any more.

Addison: The best advice I can give you is to lighten up on Gary.  He
  might be a very unhappy man with some of responsibilies he
  cannot talk about.  Try to draw him out without knocking him
  down.  Hear what he has to say.  He might open up to you.

Toni:  I'll do that.

Addison feels like he owes an apology to Gary.  He also wants to straighten out this mess between two people who obviously care about each other. But most of all he wants to know more about the paper, even though he'll have to keep it to himself.  If Gary needs help again,  he'll be ready.  Knowing Gary's history of getting into trouble while trying to help, Addison feels he has to step in soon in the event of a replay of a similiar Scanlon type incident.  Addison has a light schedule that day and decides the sooner he talks to Gary, the better it will be for all involved.  He gets in his car and drives straight to McGinty's Pub hoping Gary is still there.

Addison walks into McGuinty's, and what he observes is a very grumpy, unhappy person.  As Addison approaches him, he can see that Gary isn't too pleased with his arrival.

Addison: Mr. Hobson, Addison Polk.  How have you been?

Gary quickly recognizes the lawyer who approached him in his cell when he was arrested for the murder of Frank Scanlon, an unlikeable columnist.  Gary knew Addison was a friend of Toni and was trying to figure out what brought him to his bar.

Gary:  Is everything OK?  Did Toni send you?

Addison gets to the point.  Being a lawyer and considering what Gary told him about the paper, he decides to go there first.

Addison: Mr. Hobson,  Gary,  you told me something in your cell that I did
  not believe.  Gary, I.........

Before Addison could go on, Gary takes the paper and puts in right in front of him.

Gary:  This is what I wanted to show you in my cell!  I couldn't,
  because the paper didn't show up.

Addison picks up the Sun-Times and starts to read it.

Gary:  Look at the date!  This is why I'm half crazy and no one takes
  me seriously.

His voice starts to crack.

Gary:  I can't lead a normal life or get involved with a woman.

Both Addison and Gary are very quiet.

Gary:  If you'll look at the end of the bar, you will see the cat that
  brings me the paper every morning.

Addison: I'm sorry I didn't believe you.  You were telling the truth.  The
  date is right here on top, October 24, tomorrow.

Gary:  Along with disasters, all preventable.

Addison: I'm not sure that I could handle the responsibilities that
  come with knowing what is going to happen in the future.  That
  is quite a burden to carry.  You have to live with the fact that
  unless you do something to help, people will be injured or die.

Gary notices that Addison appears to be a much more sympathetic person than before.  Gary feels like he can talk to him safely knowing that whatever he tells him will not leave the room.  He knows he needs to talk to someone.

Addison: Are you OK?  Am I here at a bad time?

Gary:  It seems like everytime I take one step forward, I take two
  steps backward.

Addison: Would you like to talk about it?
 

It was time to talk.  A professional person could understand his state of mind and know that he has problems he cannot solve himself.  Gary starts at the very beginning.  He tells Addison how he first got the paper and how shortly afterward,  he wished the paper would stop coming.  He talks for over an hour.  Addison is not at all the cold man Gary thought he was when he approached Gary in his cell last year.  Gary details every incident he can think of.  The more he talks the better he feels.

Gary:  Toni is constantly on my mind, but I know my involvement with
  the paper will keep us apart.

Addison: I know what you are saying.  You're afraid the paper will bring         nothing but heartache.

Gary:  Yes.

Addison: Gary, please, take one day off from the paper.  Don't even look
  at it.  Take Toni somewhere peaceful and quiet and tell her
  about the paper!
 
 

                     Chapter Three
 

That night lying in bed, Gary tosses and turns.  For the first time in a long time, he  decides to turn off his alarm.  The following morning he wakes up without the sound of the cat at the door.  He glances at the clock.  9:00!   The latest he has slept in years.  Waking up like most normal people do.  Better still, when he goes to the door, the cat is sitting there quietly on the paper, which is completely devoid of disasters or mishaps.

Toni wakes up the next morning and decides she'll take the advice of her lawyer friend,  Addison.   She will call Gary and no matter what he does, she will not bark at him.

Gary debates with himself about whether he should call Toni, but decides against it.  He's finally run out of excuses.  He'll call her, but not today.

It is so quiet,  Gary is so deep in thought,  that when the phone rings he jumps.

Gary:  Hello?

Toni:  I hope you're not mad at me.

Gary:  Oh, no.  I'm so sorry about running out to, ah, help someone.  I
  would have gone to your place afterward, but I thought you
  might........

Toni:  I know that.

Gary:  Toni,  I hope this isn't too late, but...

Toni:  No, it was me.  I don't know why I overact to everything.

Gary:  Can we start all over.....again.

Toni:  Of course!  The offer still stands!  How about dinner at my
  place?

Gary:  After last night and what I did...you still want me over?

Toni:  Yes, I do.

Toni realizes how much better she feels by talking to Gary in a nice, soft manner.  Gary is also surprised at how gentle she actually sounds.

Toni:  When should I pick you up?

Gary:  I can go directly to your place.

Fearing that Gary might not show up,  she has a better idea.

Toni:  No, no.   I'll pick you up.  Around 6:00?

Gary spends the day doing routine things around the bar. As owner of McGuinty's he realizes he has to spend more time there running the place.
He decides to catch up on his paperwork, and with that out of the way,  he can really looking forward to a pleasant evening with Toni.  Remembering what Lucius Snow, the man who got the paper before him, told him, he can still help people, but he also has to learn to live his life.

 He remembers how it was before he got the paper.  The city still survived.  People have always been in danger and always will be in danger.  How about all the people in other towns in danger who he didn't even know about and couldn't help anyway.

Later, at exactly 6:00, Toni walks up the stairs to Gary's loft above McGuinty's bar and knocks on Gary's door.  She always wondered why he never found a nicer place to live.  Toni can't understand  how someone could feel comfortable living in a one room place.   Gary lets her in.  She displays the nicest smile he has seen in a long time.  Toni walks around his room and even pets the cat that sometimes makes her sneeze.  All is going well.  The conversation is light and pleasant.

Gary:  They say this nice weather will continue.

Toni:  I had a wonderful time bike riding with you.

Gary:  There are so many places in and out of town that I have never
  seen.  I would love to have you go with me while I explore.

Toni:  I would love that!

Just as they start to leave, the cat starts acting crazy!

MMMmmeeooowwwmeeooow!!!!!!!!!!!!      Gary tries to ignore the cat. Toni tries shooing it away.  The cat leaps, almost on top of Gary, then on the paper and meowes louder than ever.

Toni moves to grab the paper, but Gary intercepts her.  Not this time cat!  Out of the corner of his eye, Gary sees the headline.  His heart sinks.  "Charles and Jade Fishman killed.  Freak car accident could have been easily prevented if manhole cover had been replaced after street repairs".

Gary:  Toni?

Gary's voice is very weak.  Toni shivers.

Gary:  Let me start at the beginning.

Toni reacts immediately.

Toni:  I should have known this would happen again!

Toni cries and yells at the same time.  Gary is speechless.  Before he can think of what to say, Toni is out the door.  He follows her down the stairs but she is not interested.  She bolts into her car, locks the door, sobs, heartbroken and hopeless.  Gary bangs on her car window but Toni won't even look at him.

Gary:  Please, Toni, open the window.  Let me explain.  I will tell you
  everything.

Toni:  Go away!

Gary:  I want to show you something.

Toni:  No!  I don't believe anything you have to say anymore,  just go!

Gary stands by the car silently, then backs away.  He slowly walks up the stairs.  In his room he picks up the paper, devastated with disappointment.

Toni is gone for good.  He feels so much anger that his whole body starts to shake.   He  breaths heavily, pounds on the wall.  He picks up the entire paper and throws it out the window,  just as he has done before.

Out of all of the people in Chicago that Lucius Snow saved, why was he the one to get the paper!  For four years he has spent all his time saving other people and making other people happy.  It's ridiculous.  He can't even save himself.  He would have told Toni about the paper, then and there, but she ran off too fast.  But, even if he had told her, what would have happened next?  His romance with Erica had slid downward after he told her about the paper, never to recover.  And, with Meredith, the reporter at the Sun-Times, he didn't even want to think about her.  The more he thinks about where he and Toni are heading, the more depressed he becomes.
 
 

     Chapter Four
 

Toni, still sitting in the car, finally feels composed enough to drive a car.  It's over between her and Gary.  He's just not interested in her.  No man was interested in her.  Should she devote the rest of her life to her job?  Or should she be miserable and do nothing with the rest of her life?  Still sitting there, she looks upward towards Gary's window.  Newspapers are coming from it!  Part of the paper lands on her windshield.  She gets out of the car and picks the paper off of the car.

The headlines almost knock her over.

Toni:  What!  October 25?  Charles and Jade killed in a car accident?
  How can that be?  I just saw them walk into the bar minutes
  ago????

Upstairs, Gary walks to the window.  He can't remember the last time he felt sadness like this, except for the time he was lying on the floor of the carpet store after helping others,  hating the paper for what it did to his life,  not caring if he would live or die.  At least in the carpet store,  he had someone to talk to, even though no one was really there.  That was a bad chapter in his life.  What started out as a routine save on a roof top, ended with him causing, rather than preventing, someone's death.  Not only was he unable to deal with that emotionally, he had to deal with the paper telling him his life would end that day in a carpet store.  Ultimately, there was a happy ending to that story, but he could see no happy ending here.  He  never felt more alone.

Looking down Gary notices that Toni's car is still there.  So is Toni.  She's  holding the paper and reading it.

Gary backs away from the window to catch his breath.  He hears footsteps   then silence.

Toni:  Gary?

Trying to keep his emotions under control, he opens the door and lets Toni in.  Within seconds they are in each other's arms.

Toni:  Why didn't you tell me?

Gary turns away and sits down without saying a word.  He closes his eyes, unsure of what to say next.

Gary:  I didn't, I...

Toni:  Think of all the trouble you got into that could have been
  avoided.  Gary, you should have told me sooner.
 
Toni reaches for Gary's hand.  She speaks in a very soft voice.

Toni:  Are you OK?

 Gary doesn't answer.  She knows this is a very traumatic time for him.  She  gives Gary some time to get his bearings.

Gary:  I'm sorry I put you through so much.  I really wanted to tell
  you but I was afraid to.  You have no idea what it has been
  like for me........to keep the paper a secret.

Toni:  Now I understand what was happening.  But, why did the
  cat react when you did?  You didn't even touch the cat.

Gary:  You have it backwards.  The cat brings me the paper.

Toni:  That is why the cat appeared at the hotel!

Gary:  This has been going on for four years.  Every morning the cat
  appears at my door with the paper.  If something comes up
  suddenly, the cat reacts.

Toni:  Oh, Gary, you were so wrong by not telling me.  Now all the
  strange events are falling together and starting to make sense.
  You get tomorrow's newspaper today!  You can change the
  course of events for the better.  That is why you are always
  showing up when people are in trouble.

Gary stands up and starts to walk over to the window.  He turns around and walks back to where Toni is standing.

Toni:  Oh, Gary, out on the ledge!   You read that I had fallen off
  and died.  That is why you knew exactly where I was!

Gary feels a need to tell Toni everything about Frank Scanlon's murder and how he got involved.

Gary:  Toni,  I have to tell you about Frank Scanlon.

Toni:  Yes, Gary.  Please, tell me.

Gary:  I read that he was going to be shot at a certain time and
  place.  That is why they found me over the body.

Toni:  Oh my God!

Gary:  The paper printed the wrong time of the murder.  That is why
  they found me over the body looking like the killer.

Toni:  Oh, Gary!

Gary:  I tried to save his life, but failed because of the error
  in the paper.  Everyone was sure that I had killed Frank
  Scanlon.

Toni:  Why, Gary, why did you jump out of the window at the
  court house?  There were at least two dozen people there.
  You really took a chance.  You were outnumbered.

Gary:  Actually, I took no chance at all.  To my surprise, the paper
  showed up at the court house.  The headlines read that I had
  successfully jumped out the window.  I knew I'd make it out
  the window safely.

Toni:  And the lie dectector test!  The results never made any
  sense to me.  You passed the part about killing Scanlon
  but you failed the part about being truthful.  Now it is all
  coming together.  I treated you so badly.
 
Gary:  I can't blame you for not believing me at the beginning, but
  Toni, I know you helped me at the end.

Toni walks over to Gary and puts her arms around him.  He pulls her tighter to him.

Toni:  You went through so such much after they arrested you for
  Frank Scanlon's murder.  Did you even think of what could have
  happened to you if a jury would have found you guilty?  You
  would have been better off telling me about the paper right
  away.  It would have saved you so much grief.  You took a
  big chance keeping the paper a secret.

Gary:  I know.  Marrissa said the same thing and I wouldn't listen to
  her.  I did tell Addison Polk about the paper, but he didn't
  believe me because I didn't have the paper at the time to
  show him.

Toni:  Gary, I will never forgive myself for not letting you spend the
  night at my place while everyone was looking for you.

Gary:  I'm to blame for that.  What if Paul had shown up and found
  me there?  You would have been in real trouble and I would have
  wound up back in jail.

Toni dashes across the room and picks up the phone.

Toni:  Gary,  I have to make a phone call.

Worried who she might be calling, Gary runs toward Toni.

Gary:  I don't want Paul Armstrong to know about this,  at least
  not yet.

Toni:  Hmmm, that's a great idea.  We should call him.

She picks up the phone.

Toni:  Right now I want to warn Chuck and Jade before they leave.
  Then I'll call Paul and tell him about the paper!
 
Gary:  Are you serious?  Paul?

Toni:  No!  Of course I won't call him.  He is so funny when he is
  baffled.  That would ruin the fun of toying with him.

Gary smiles.  Toni paces around the room talking a mile a minute.

Toni:  First I have to call downstairs and warn Chuck and Jade.  They
  walked into the bar about 20 minutes ago.  Then I have to call
  the city and make sure that manhole cover is replaced.

She picks up the paper and puts all of the pages back in sequence.

Toni:  You know, Gary, in my line of work I have the capacity
  to save alot more people and alot more efficiently than you
  can.
 
Gary:  Well, be my guest!   I never thought in a million years that
  you would accept the paper that well.

Toni:  Gary, the paper is a tool to make things easier for me to do my
  job.

They look at one another, silenced by their new intimacy.  Toni knows now that Gary wasn't trying to avoid her .  Gary is thrilled that Toni accepts the paper and takes a great interest in it.  Toni will be by his side from now on.

Gary:  You know, it was fun getting out of the city for an afternoon.
  I can think of something even better than that.

Toni:  What?

Gary:  Why don't we leave the state?  Chuck and Jade will be in town
  for a few more weeks.  I'm assuming that he told her about the
  paper, and even if he didn't, that would be the time to tell her.
  They could stay here and take care of things.  I know that
  Chuck would love more than anything else to be in total control
  of the paper, for a while anyhow.

Toni:  Lets go tonight.

Gary:  Where should we go?

Toni:  Come on Gary. You have first choice.  You name a place!

Gary:  Where they can't deliver.
 

      The End
 

Email the author:  Msmarylou2000@aol.com
 

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