MORIANI HOME
Andy's
hand cracks the knocker against
the front door several times in rapid fire. As he waits for an answer,
he again gazes up at the sprawling house. If ever there were a house more
suited to a brass knocker instead of a doorbell, it's this one; there's
something about the place that is just ... creepy.
A wave of relief washes over him
when the door opens and he sees his mother's
face. He was dreading coming
here and having to face either Nick
or Ryan right now.
"Hello," he says coolly.
"Hello." Katherine seems much more
reserved than usual. Andy has grown accustomed to her greeting him with
open arms each time he visits, hoping that he had given up his objections
to her marriage and his residual anger towards her. But her reaction now
is anything but enthusiastic.
"Are you busy?" he asks after a silent
stutter in the conversation.
"No, no," she says. "Would you like
to come in?" As if reading his mind, she adds, "Nick and Ryan just went
out."
Andy glances up again at the house.
"Sure."
He follows her inside and into the
living room, which is just off to the right of the foyer. The decor is
precisely what he would have expected from Nick: Dark, muted colors, obviously
expensive but not at all interesting. Andy can't picture his mother being
at home here.
"You didn't bring your friend along
this time?" Katherine asks.
It takes him a moment to realize
what she is talking about. "Maggie?
No. She had to head back to Seattle."
"She's from Seattle?" Katherine stands
behind a leather burgundy lounger, brushing her hands along its top.
"Yes. She was in King's Bay for business.
She's an architect."
"Oh, really?" The cheery but flat
interest in Katherine's voice is confusing to Andy. It's almost as though
she is trying to pretend that none of what has happened actually happened.
"Then I suppose it's not serious
between the two of you," she says. Then, almost as an afterthought: "Is
it?"
Andy eyes her with wary confusion
but then softens the look as he answers, "No, it's--I'm not sure what it
is, actually."
"But you are interested in her?"
"I--" He stops with a huff. "Mother,
I didn't come here to discuss Maggie."
Palms held out in front of her, she
shrugs. "I'm simply curious about your life, Andrew. Can't we have a regular
mother-son conversation for once?"
"I would love to," Andy says, stepping
into the center of the room. "I would love to. But I think we need to get
back to a regular mother-son relationship first, no?"
Katherine stiffens. "I don't see
anything keeping us from that."
"Of course you don't. Because you
don't want to."
"I haven't changed my mind about
Nick. So until you get over this fixation--"
Andy moves closer to her. "Mother,
do you understand the severity of what
Brent told you the other night?
Do you understand that you are married to a man--" He pauses, glancing
around the house instinctively before he begins to speak ill of its owner.
"You are married to a man who may very well be responsible for your nearly
being killed. And it could very easily happen again."
"Andrew--"
"No! I am not going to have this
conversation with you again and again and continue to wind up back at square
one. I am not stopping until my point is made, and I am getting tired of
repeating myself!"
The force with which he speaks rattles
Katherine. She only swallows in response.
"Did you hear what Brent had to tell
you the other night? Nick was a close friend and most likely a business
associate of James Robbins, who was definitely involved in organized crime.
And do you remember hearing about Tim Fisher's death? He was my friend,
Mother. And he died because he was trying to help his wife and me prove
what Nick is involved in."
Still Katherine says nothing, though
she seems to be shrinking before Andy.
He leans in closer. "Nick has ruined
life after life. He's not going to stop until he's completely ruined yours,
too!"
One .
Two .
Three .
Four .
Five .
Six .
Seven .
Eight
Main Page .
Current Episode .
Episode Archives .
Story Recap .
Characters .
Making Prints .
Interact .
Around King's Bay .
Links
