MONTAG BEER FACTORY

The broken beer bottles crunch beneath his feet as he walks through the echoing building. His flashlight illuminates only the smallest portion of the pitch black mass that engulfs him.

Another step places him in a pool of warm, sticky beer. He tries to lift his right foot, but it's fixed to the floor.

"Shit. This place is a mess."

A hot, sweaty, sweltering mess. It's a wonder anyone is able to work in here, what with the complete lack of air conditioning. But maybe the building was perfectly ventilated before the accident. Accident.

As if.

This was no accident. It was a...

"Can we get some fucking light in here?"

"Just a second, jeez!"

After what seems like an eternity, the lights finally come up on the factory. And the decaying smell of death and rotting flesh finally has an image to match the searing odor.

Bodies. Nearly twenty, but there could be more. All of them dead. Covered from head to toe in blood.

Detective Jamie Grady looks down at his feet, where his foot is planted firmly in a puddle of a substance that is most certainly not beer.

It's blood.

"Damn, some awful fucking factory accident or what?"

Jamie grimly glances toward one of the officers behind him. He returns his gaze to the slaughtered men and women littered across the factory floor.

"This was no accident," Jamie says. "This was a massacre."



BALE & MADDOCK LAW OFFICES

An aroma of stale coffee filters though Darren Reynolds' nose as he carries a steaming hot cup into his office. Idiotically, he grabbed the Styrofoam cup as soon as the coffee was done pouring. Normally, he mixes half and half in his coffee, but lately he's felt the desire to dump undoctored coffee down his throat.

Sleeping is hard to do when your apartment suddenly becomes empty, almost overnight.

Darren never realized how much he'd grown used to having Jack in his bed, or waking up in the middle of the night because Phillip was crying in his crib, or listening to Jessica and Alec argue during episodes of The Hills.

He misses them.

But now he lives alone, and comes to work every day in...well, hell. But hell doesn't even begin to describe it. Considering what he now knows about his uncle Robert tampering with Kevin Hanley's will so he could cut Felicia out of it...he doesn't even have a professional respect for his job anymore.

"Good morning," Darren says, speaking to a pair of potential clients as he enters his office.

He sets his coffee down on the edge of his desk and slides into his chair. Across from him are a middle-aged couple, probably Republican, with the latest in K-Mart couture.

Sometimes, Darren hates it when his gay instincts override his desire to help his fellow man, but for now, it's al that can get him through the day. Mock the client's wardrobe. Imagine how much they hate the fact that he has sex with men.

Hah.

Well, relatively speaking.

Darren hasn't been have much sex of any kind lately. Not since Jack, not since Blake...life's been pretty much a drag, for lack of a better term.

"What can I do for you?"

"We're here to sue our neighbors," the husband says.

"Oh?"

"They're...gay. They have parties."

Darren raises an eyebrow. "Parties?"

"Sexual parties," the wife whispers, almost conspiratory.

"Wow, are you sure you want to sue?" Darren asks. "I mean, why not just go for the gas chamber?"

"My sentiments exactly." Robert Bale's sudden appearance thrusts Darren back into reality. Work. He's not here to have fun. He's here to do his job...and that entails working side-by-side with a man he once loved, and yet now, can barely stand.



ALEC BALE & DARREN REYNOLDS' PENTHOUSE

"That's everything," Alec Bale says, staring at his empty bedroom. There's nothing more than a blank expression on his face. Any attempts to look at his former apartment through nostalgia-filled glasses are thwarted by the even worse memories he's had there.

While he'd already moved in with his mother, he was finally taking the rest of his boxes and moving them to Simon's house. The move was permanent now. He wouldn't be coming back to this place, at least not for a long, foreseeable future.

Alec realized now that he was far from ready to live on his own. A failed marriage, a child, and a murder trial were already on his plate...he shuddered to think what else he could add to it.

"The movers should be back up in a second," Felicia Bale says, returning to the apartment. "Where's Michael?"

"Pacing in the living room, last I checked. Why did he offer to help?"

"Because you're his nephew. You're his family."

Alec rolls his eyes. "I just love it when you remind me of that. Though maybe some of that Hanley DNA will come in handy when I'm about to be sent up the river."



"You even dragged the river and couldn't find anything?" Michael Hanley says, speaking just above a whisper inside a locked bathroom.

He stands next to the toilet, one hand holding his cell phone and the other pressed against the wall. It's been only a couple days since his encounter with Victor Collins, the man who had betrayed Michael's trust for years, at the Emerald Lake.

Driven to the edge, Michael confronted Victor with a gun and end up shooting him. Victor's body went over the edge of the bridge and into the water, but a subsequent search turned up no body.

Michael wasn't exactly wracked with guilt over killing his former confidante, but he was worried about a body turning up. Given everything that had blown up in Michael's face regarding his plans to fake Sean Moore's death, he wanted to be overly cautious these days.

"Nothing at all," Riley Schaefer's voice says on the other end. "Do you supposed he's not dead?"

"Not unless his last name is Rasputin. I unloaded every bullet I had into that son of a bitch's chest."

"Then perhaps we should leave well enough alone before we draw attention to the site," Riley says. "We don't need the police poking around."

"There aren't enough random deaths in this town for them to deal with?" Michael says, sighing. "I suppose you're right."

"And think about it this way. If he did somehow survive, I don't think you'll ever see Victor Collins in Marquette Cove again."



MARQUETTE COVE HIGH SCHOOL

"I can't believe I have to take two Calculus exams in one week," Akilah Moore says, slamming her locker shut. "This is cruel and unusual."

"Well, you sort of did skip school for two weeks," Julia Mitchell says. "They kinda frown on that."

Akilah rolls her eyes. "I'll bet Stacy Keaton didn't have to go to summer school and take an extra make-up exam when she was getting her Chlamydia cleared up."

"Probably not. But it probably helps that she got it from Mr. Cleary."

"When are people gonna learn that hooking up with teachers? Leads to consequences."

"Yeah, like going psycho and getting locked up in an insane asylum?" Julia offers.

Akilah smirks. "Hate it when that happens."

Julia closes her own locker and follows Akilah as they walk through the hallway. "You seem chipper. Finally."

"I'm feeling it," Akilah says. "I think all this weirdness with my Dad...I'm finally starting to deal with it."

"Enough to go and see him?"

"No...not yet. I don't think I can handle that yet," Akilah says. "Walking back into the mansion, seeing him kiss Michael and thinking he was his wife...it's all just too weird for me."

"Understandable."

The girls stop when they reach their Calculus classroom. The bell rings, causing Akilah's face to turn into a frown almost immediately.

"Better get off to our cruel fate," Akilah says.

"Actually, I'm gonna skip...today's the last day to turn in my internship application for 312, that entertainment magazine?"

"Oh, right. Well, good luck with that."

"Grab me a study guide," Julia shouts back as she hurries off to the nearest exit.

Akilah turns to enter the classroom but stops when her cell phone vibrates. She quickly answers it.

"Hello?"

"Akilah! Oh my God, I'm so glad you picked up! I've been trying to someone, anyone!"

"Sara?" Akilah asks, recognizing the voice. "Aren't you supposed to be in South Africa?"

Sara speaks almost through tears, "I am! That's what I'm calling about. Something horrible has happened, Akilah. Something really, really horrible."



MARQUETTE COVE POLICE DEPARTMENT

The prodigal detective's return to his former place of glory is not as stirring as he expected. Rather, it's extremely uncomfortable. No one acknowledges Joel Kincaid's presence with a verbal greeting, but there are plenty of stares.

He hasn't been in the building since he cleaned out his desk, and even then, you couldn't even cut the tension with a chainsaw. After he botched the investigation that caused his ex-wife's death, mainly due to his alcoholism, there was no place for him on the force anymore.

Their prize detective wasn't exactly a blue ribbon anymore.

"The great Joel Kincaid."

Joel cranes his neck and sees Jamie Grady approaching. Detective Jamie Grady. "Jamie."

"Can we talk?" Jamie motions to his desk.

Joel nods. "What I came here for. But I'll stand."

"Yeah. Sure."

Joel follows Jamie to his desk. Jamie sits on its edge and reaches for a set of photographs. He hands them to Joel.

"Grisly," Joel says, grimacing as he views the crime scene photographs.

"There was a massacre at the Montag Beer Factory this morning, sure you heard about it on the news," Jamie says.

"We don't get too much local news on campus radio," Joel says, almost sarcastic. "But yeah."

"Look at the marking on the victims. The cuts. The blood. Someone was having a fucking party."

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Does this remind you of a case you worked on a few years back?"

"Yeah...around five years ago. Late 2003, I think."

"Well, whoever was responsible for it...looks like he's back."



EMERALD SQUARE

"I'm glad this isn't awkward."

"Awkward?" Vincent Moore says, almost laughing. "Why in the world would things be awkward between us?"

"Who knows?" Blake Thomas muses over the the huge elephant in the room, or outdoor cafe rather, that they're both avoiding mentioning. He shovels another forkful of salad into his mouth and swallows it down with a sip from his Diet Coke. "But I'm glad we're able to have lunch together again, and hang out. I miss my best friend."

Blake reaches across the table to touch Vince's hand, but Vince quickly retracts his own. Way to unsuccessfully hide his anxiety. "Well, it's not like you've had that many friends to begin with. You had your back from the dead twin brother."

"Skipped town."

"And Kelli."

"Skipped town too."

"Um... Chris?"

"Psycho ex-boyfriend who's gone off the deep end."

Vince finally laughs. "But wait, let's not forget your other ex. Darren. The cradle robber."

"Hey!" Blake protests. "Do we even need to run down your list? I seem to remember a certain love triangle between your ex-best friend and ex-girlfriend?"

"Which torpedoed my relationship with Kelli. Right."

"You know, back then I thought you were the craziest of the three. Little did I know, Alec was secretly nuts. I have no idea what made him start eating the Cocoa Puffs, but that boy isn't right in the head."

Vince frowns. Having gotten a front row seat to Alec shooting Melissa Bale, he knew what was really going on with Alec. Only the people in the house at the time knew the truth. He couldn't even tell his best friend. Though, lucky for Vince, they hadn't been talking much recently.

Blake's eyes light up. "Remember when that Colin O'Reilly guy got killed and you lied to the police about —"

"Yeah..." Vince says, his voice trailing off. "How about we just go ahead and pave over memory lane?"



BALE & MADDOCK LAW OFFICES

Darren stands and hurries to the door. He pushes Robert out into the hallway.

"I'm in the middle of a meeting," Darren says. "What do you want?"

"Hey, I'm the boss around here," Robert says. "I ask the questions."

Darren recoils after getting a whiff of Robert's breath. The alcohol stench is strong enough to knock him out.

"You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk, I've just been drinking. It's all I can do now, with my entire family turning on me."

Darren groans loudly. "I do not have time for this, Robert. I'm trying to do a job. The only one who's actually doing their job around here, actually. I'm covering my own workload and Melissa's."

Robert shoves Darren against the wall. "Don't you ever mention her name!"

Darren retaliates by grabbing Robert's arm and twisting it around his back. "Look, Uncle Robert. I could kick your ass if I wanted to, but I'm trying to pay you back for taking me in when I moved to Marquette Cove. So maybe you should act grateful instead of pissing off everyone who cares about you!"

"You don't care about me. No one cares about me."

"Are you a high schooler? We still care about you. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that some of us even think that Alec just might be a little screwed up in the head, and all of this molestation stuff is something his warped mind made up."

Robert stops struggling. "Really?"

"Maybe," Darren says. "But you're not helping your case. And until we actually know what's going on with Alec, maybe you need to calm down. And if we find out he's telling the truth...then I don't know. It would make you the most disgusting person I've met."

"Disgusting? I'm not disgusting!" Robert shouts. "You're the one who's the faggot that lets guys shove their —"

Darren pushes Robert away from him. "You're pathetic, Robert. You can't even see when people are on your goddamn side."

Their tense stand-off is interrupted by the Republican couple emerging from Darren's office. The husband glares at Darren. "Excuse me, are you going to attend to us our not?"

"You'll have to talk to the drunk hobo here," Darren says, making eye contact with his uncle. "Because I don't work here anymore."



EMERALD SQUARE

"Hey guys."

Vince and Blake turn to see Julia approaching them, a wide smile on her face.

"What's up?"

"Just lunch," Vince says. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in class?"

"Says the king of skipping class?" Julia says. "I mean, it's pretty much pointless with finals coming up anyway. So I skipped to turn in my application to 312."

"Very cool," Blake says. "Look at you, planning for the future."

"Yeah, internships are the way to go," Julia says. "What about you two? Any summer plans?"

"Some excessive non-issue having," Vince grouses. "I'm trying not to think about my dad coming back from the grave thinking he's a woman. Once I get that out of the way, I'm cool."

"That's sort of a lot to get out the way," Julia insists.

Vince shrugs. "Whatever."

"Me, I'm trying to find a job," Blake says. "I'm like, practically broke until I turn 21 and get the money my parents left me."

Julia rolls her eyes. "Both of you boys with the inheritances. You two are like a match made in heaven."

Blake and Vince attempt to avoid staring at one another. Lunch just got awkward.



Akilah wanders through the crowd with a blank expression on her face. She bumps into a woman carrying groceries, accidentally knocking them out of her hands. Rather than stay and help the woman, Akilah mumbles an apology and continues toward the table where her brother sits with Blake and Julia.

"Did you get my study guide?" Julia says, looking up from her conversation and noticing Akilah.

"Study guide?"

Julia sighs. "Can't you remember anything?"

"I have...I have news," Akilah says. "I forgot."

"News?" Blake says. "What is it?"

Everyone becomes concerned about the look of grave fear on Akilah's face. Particularly Julia.

"I got a call from Sara, she said that..." Akilah makes eye contact with Julia, then feels her eyes glazing over. She shakes her head, as attempting to get rid of a migraine.

"Sara? She called from South Africa?"

"Huh?" Akilah says.

"You just said Sara called," Vince says, taking his sister's hand. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Akilah says, feeling instantly upbeat. "I meant to say that I tried calling Sara, but she didn't pick up."

"That's your big news? Well, I'm certainly glad you found the three of us to give us that stunning information."

Julia smirks and intensifies her gaze on Akilah. The words she speaks seem sarcastic to Vince and Blake, but to Akilah, it reads more sincere, completely genuine... "Yes...thank you, Akilah."