Chapter 17

[bexeth]

The day had been so filled with unwanted communication that Julia ended up taking the phone off the hook. It seemed everyone in town had called, wanting to dish about Lance’s murder, wanting to mine for details that Julia honestly didn’t know…it was all revolting, but she knew she couldn’t dare say so. All she could do was get off the phone as quickly as possible, which in some cases, was no easy task.

She just wanted to hide from the world for a while, so she immersed herself in all of the housework she’d been neglecting earlier. She was in the middle of getting Brett’s muddy shoeprints off the living room floor when a knock came on the door. Julia groaned. This, she was willing to bet, was another “concerned citizen” who’d come to fish for gossip.

Julia’s very first thought was to ignore it. She was hardly in the mood for company, the house was a complete wreck and she wasn’t looking much better. It had been a tumultuous afternoon, full of emotion, regret and tears…and it was all that silly soap opera’s fault.

Also:
Marnie finally says her piece.
Michael zeroes in on Brett.

[kellyzollo]

Yay I love ID Tuesdays. I was like so happy when I went ot work and you uploaded, I did a happy dance.

Marnie/Evan- It is about damn time that she told him where he could stick it and to really just get over his dead wife. I adored their scenes, I get where Evan is coming from but really I think there was only so much more that Marnie was supposed to take from the situation. Maybe this will have an impact on his recovery or really finding out if he involved in the murders.

Shane/Michael- I like cop stuff so I found their scenes really enjoyable, I watch a lot of crime television. I like that Shane tried to explain how things were between people to Michael, and I loved how Michael made him question that.

Julia/Jeff- I wanted them to act on their feelings and I was so glad that Jeff made the move to attempt to make her admit that she was lying to herself. I like that Julia feels to torn between her husband and Jeff, but I wanted her to get caught. The moment Brett walked in I cheered, it was great and I thought a brilliant way to round out this chapter.

You still intrigue me with the killer Bex, I thought this was a great glimpse into what you have already begun to build on since you started. I can't wait till the next one.

Kelly

[bexeth]

Hey Kelly! Thanks for stopping by!

I think that Marnie really saying it has been a very long time coming too...she's got the patience of a saint, but I think this passage is probably the reader's first glimpse of how much it really bothers her to have to live in Francine's shadow. It's got to be horrible for her, because it's a constant comparison...not only from Evan, but many others as well. I was proud of her for finally speaking up about it.

I like that Michael is providing a new set of eyes on this. Of course, Shane wouldn't find anything necessarily bizarre in Brett's behavior - he's known him all his life. He's pretty used to his subdued reactions by now, but it's quite fascinating to see Michael's take on this whole thing.

Ah, I loved that Julia got caught too! This is going to end in something nobody was expecting. The next chapter is really Brett's tour de force, I think.

Thanks so much for dropping by and leaving your feedback! I appreciate it!

[Dallas]

What another awesome read Bex. I just adore the days I get to sit down on my lunch break and read ID. It's easily one of my favorite webseries right now.

Marnie -- Ah, I wanted to slap her so many times through out the scene. I get that she's married and that she loves him, but she needs a clean break from him, at least until he's more stable. I was pretty surprised that he agreed to see a therapist though; that should be interesting. Still the fact that he can't let go of Francie is troublesome.

Shane -- You know, this scene was so great because for the first time, I actually thought that maybe someone other than Lucas/Evan is the killer. Michael brought up some great points about Brett, he's so unlikely as a killer, but how DOES he cope with everything he has been going through? So interesting, this latest twist.

Julia/Brett/Jeff -- Ahhh! I loved the ending. So dramatic. I knew from the entire scene that hewas going to arrive at home, but I actually thought he was going to walk in on a lip lock or something. You did a great job with the scene.

Another fantastic read Bex! Keep up the wonderful work,

d

[bexeth]

Hi Dallas, thanks for coming by!

I'm honored to be one of your favorites, thank you very much! I'm so glad you like the development of the story thus far.

Poor Marnie. She's trying her best to break through to him, but as you point out, a clean break altogether might be a better idea. Still, it is quite telling that Evan does appear to want to improve. He's got a long road ahead of him and the progress remains to be seen, but he's on the right track in this chapter, I think.

One of my main objectives is to show the audience that it really could have been anyone that's on the canvas. It might have been Evan or Lucas...or it could have also been Brett or Marnie or Julia...the only ones we can safely rule out at this point are the dead ones. And yes, I thought Michael brought up some really interesting points about Brett too. A lot more of this character will be revealed soon, and I can promise there is much more than meets the eye.

Chapter 18 is where the final scene really gets good. I hate to say this, but I came away from the whole thing really feeling sorry for Jeff. Don't ask me why, I just did.

Thanks for the feedback!

[Ty Junior]

Marnie/Evan - First off, I loved how when Evan stumbles into the office making incoherent ramblings to Marnie that she assumes that he must be having another one of his episode, and under the impression that he's Francine.  Thankfully, he wasn't and we got to see their scene go into a refreshing, rehabilitative route with Marnie being able to talk about what living under the shadow of his deceased wife's image has done to their still very young, fragile relationship.  Great use of the foot in the door phenomenon here - she gets him to agree to stop drinking, to talk to a professional, and even not to wander off again (yet he noticeably can't open up to her about what happened when he did run off, and she didn't press).  I guess because she needed him to be open for the whopper of requests - tear down the shrine.  Honestly, he needs to.  There's adoration and love, and then there is plain obsession.  Granted, you never get over that kind of loss, but it is not fair to invite someone into the home that you shared with this woman, and ask her to become the third wheel in her own marriage.  I found the fact that he couldn't say "I Love You" back very telling.  / On an aside, Evan seems really remove from the rest of the canvas.  He only really shares scenes with Marnie.

Shane/Michael - You know, the killer really could be Brett if you think about the victims so far -- two people that have pretty much attacked his sister's pristine image.  Plus, this could be sexist of me, but with the amount of force and strength that went into the killings, I'm having a difficult time believing that a woman could have done that unless she was strung up on some controlled substance.  In addition, if a certain character is to be spared from this murder's wrap, it would almost have to be someone close to her.  All in all, I'm glad that Michael appears to be shaking things up with this investigation, and forcing our other leading detectives to consider other avenues to this crime. 

Jeff/Julia/Brett - I think you have yourself a really promising triangle here, and I can't wait to see what unfolds next.  You sure could feel the tension in that room when Brett arrived to find his wife and Jeff together.  Could this be the straw that finally breaks the camel back?  There were really a lot of interesting hints dropped about Brett in this episode.  I'm also glad that Stanley realized that those two kids came to really rely on Jeff as a father figure, and forced Jeff to stop and realize that he wasn't doing anyone any favors by skipping out on them.  I'm sure that took a great deal of resolve with Jeff being implicated in the murder of his daughter.

Overall, I enjoyed this episode.  Can't wait to see what you have planned for your anniversary showcase.

[bexeth]

Hey Ty! Thanks for stopping in.

I think Evan just about summed it up in that first scene: "I'd rather you ask me to cut off a limb than do that." To him, the shrine to poor Francine really is an extension of himself. In many ways, he feels it is his only connection to her anymore. That said, I felt Marnie was well within her rights to ask him to take it down. The poor girl's had to endure a lot where he's concerned - the very least he can do is take some damn pictures off the wall and put them in an album. In his defense, though, I don't think Evan really realizes at this point what all of this has done to Marnie. Evan is very, very focused on Evan (and Francine) at this point, so I believe he's rather oblivious to how deeply it really troubles her. I believe - this is my cracked psychoanalysis here - that he does love Marnie very much...but he is so scarred by what happened with Francine that that love is so repressed and shoved aside that he can hardly reach it anymore. Thus, him not immediately saying it back when she told him she loved him. Though, looking at this from Marnie's point of view, that omission only made the situation even worse.

And I agree...Evan is rather removed from the rest of the canvas, but I blame that on the fact he is so reclusive. He doesn't have any real friends to speak of, so it's not surprising that his only scenes are with Marnie. I will work on branching him out a little more, though...it might do him some good.

Ah, yes, it very well could be Brett, just like it very well could have been any of those crazy people. There's a lot we don't yet know about the pastor, including some things he's worked very hard to forget...but the question remains: is murder one of them?

Like I said earlier, I really want to make it possible for anyone to have done this. I agree...the force and strength implies a male culprit, but one never really knows about a person that's gone over the edge. Before this is over with, I hope to make a pretty convincing case that any one of these crazy people to have done it. Hopefully, I will pull it off well.

I'm very glad you like the addition of Michael. As I've said, he is proving to be the complete antithesis of Shane...which, at least in this chapter, has proven to be a very good thing.

As for the final scene, thank you. I'm glad you liked it. I really wanted to show how much both Jeff and Julia still strongly desire each other, though they know quite well it could never be. As for Stanley and the kids...yes, that was quite a moment, and in the next few chapters, we'll realize just where Stan would get all of this from. Backo del Flasho, ahoy!

Thanks so much for your comments. Always appreciated.