INT. NORA'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Nora's on the telephone when there's a knock at the door. Bounding down the
stairs Matthew can't wait to answer.

MATTHEW
I got it!

NORA
Yes Professor Wallace I understand
what your saying but I wonder if
you have any idea as to why.

Throwing the door open Matthew is thrilled to find his dad on the other side of
it.

MATTHEW
Hi dad!

BO
Hey sport! You guys all ready to go?

MATTHEW
I am but Mom's still on the phone.

Standing from the sofa Nora motions to Bo to give her a minute and takes the
phone with her to her office.

NORA
(on her way out)
Didn't you find that at all strange
Professor?

MATTHEW
Do you think Grandpa Asa will take me
riding today?

BO
I don't see why not. The whole family
is going to be there so you might not
get to go for long but -

MATTHEW
That's ok, I just want to ride a little. I
wish that we could go. Mom's been
on the phone all day!

BO
It's only ten o'clock sport.

MATTHEW
I know. See? All day.

Bo chuckles at his son's childlike concept of time.

MATTHEW
It's ok though. At least this guy talked
when she answered.

BO
(confused)
What do you mean?

MATTHEW
At least the guy she's talking to answered
her when she said hello.

BO
Sometimes the phone rings and there's
no one there?

MATTHEW
Yeah. Lots. It didn't used to happen
but now it does. Or sometimes they call
and mom answers and has this real weird
look on her face and then hangs up on
them.
(a beat)
But that guy just has the wrong number,
mom told me.

Listening to Matthew talk a wave of concern washes over Bo's face.

NORA
(entering)
All set?

MATTHEW
Yeah!

Replacing the phone in its rest Nora grabs her bag and jacket and is ready to go.

NORA
Well let's get this show on the road then.

BO
Is everything ok Red?

NORA

(confused)
Yeah, why?

BO
Who was that on the phone?

NORA
A professor over at Llanview U. I left
him a couple of messages this week
but he was out of town until last night
and stopped by his office this morning.

BO
Does this have to do with that drug thing
you've been looking into?

NORA
Yeah.
(a beat)
Bo? What's with the face?

BO
Nothing. I just don't know if I like you
getting so deep into something that may
not be safe.

NORA
You worry too much. Everything's fine.
I'll fill you in on all that the old Professor
had to say after the picnic ok?

MATTHEW
(impatient)
Come on! Let's go!

NORA
We're right behind ya. Come on Commish,
we'll talk shop later.

Following behind their son Bo and Nora make their way to the landing and out
the front door.

INT. ASA'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Asa, Renee, Vicki, Natalie, Chris, Jessica, Antonio, Joey, Jen, Kevin,
Kelly and Nigel are all in Asa's living room talking and having a good
time when Bo, Nora, and Matthew arrive.

MATTHEW
Hi Grandpa Asa!

Thrilled to see his grandson Asa pulls him on to his lap with a smile.

ASA
There's my boy! How 'bout a kiss
for your old grandpa.

MATTHEW
(kissing him on the cheek)
You're not old grandpa.

ASA
Handsome as your daddy and smart
as a whip like you're mama. Now
that's what I like to see. Nora honey
hand me that box there on the desk
will ya. I have a little something for
Matthew.

Nora picks up a flat box from the top of Asa's desk and puts it in his hands. Then
she and Bo look on as Matthew and Asa continue to bond.

MATTHEW
You got me a present!? It isn't
my birthday you know.

ASA
It doesn't have to be your birthday
for your grandpa to get you something
special does it?

MATTHEW
I guess not.

ASA
Another good answer.

MATTHEW
What is it?

ASA
Open it up and see.

Looking up at his parent's Matthew's face begs for reassurance that it's ok. Bo
Nora just smile and nod their heads.

MATTHEW
Oh boy!

Tearing through the wrapping Matthew can't wait to see what's inside. The
others in the room are watching now as he lifts the lid, fishes
through the tissue paper and produces a -

MATTHEW
I still don't know what it is.

Bo smiles in instant recognition at the gift dangling freely from his sons tiny hand.

ASA
That, my boy, is a set of reigns.

MATTHEW
(confused)
Reigns? Oh! You mean like the kind
we use when we ride the horses?

ASA
That's exactly what I mean.

MATTHEW
Mom. Dad. Look. Grandpa Asa gave
me my own set of reigns. (to Asa) Now
I can use these when you take me out
on your horse?

ASA
Oh, well, no, I didn't say that.

Matthew's face falls.

ASA
You see son, these reigns here are special
reigns and they can't just be used on any
old horse.

MATTHEW
They can't?

Asa shakes his head.

MATTHEW
What horse can they be used on?

ASA
Well, these reigns are your reigns and
they're only going to work right if you
use them on your horse.

MATTHEW
Grandpa Asa, I like the reigns a lot but
I don't have a horse.

ASA
You sure about that?

MATTHEW
Pretty sure.

ASA
Well then Renee, I guess we're going to
have to take that horse with the great big
bow and Matthew's name on it in the
stall out there back to the breeder because
he says he doesn't have a horse.

Little by little the pieces are falling together for both Nora and Matthew. Bo, who had it figured out long before is all smiles.

MATTHEW
There's a horse in the stall with my name -
(finally getting it)
You got me a horse!?

ASA
He's right outside, just waiting for you to
saddle up and gets the reigns on.

MATTHEW
Mom! Dad! I got a horse! Thanks Grandpa!

Matthew throws his arms around Asa in a big hug.

ASA
You better give your Grandma Renee there
a hug too, she helped me pick her out.

Jumping from Asa's lap Matthew rushes to give Renee a hug as well.

MATTHEW
Thanks Grandma!

RENEE
You're welcome darlin'.

ASA
Now Matthew.

MATTHEW
Yeah?

ASA
There are a couple of conditions to
having a horse.

MATTHEW
What?

ASA
You're going to have to come up to
the house and help brush her and take
care of her. You need to make sure
and ride her a lot.

MATTHEW
I can do that.

ASA
You're going to have to give her a real
good name too you know.

MATTHEW
Is that all?

ASA
Yeah, I think -

Nora clears her throat.

ASA
Oh, well I guess first off you better
check with your mom and dad and
make sure that this is all ok.

Matthew looks up at his parents with his big brown eyes.

MATTHEW
Can I keep her?

NORA
Asa you know you really shouldn't
have.

Matthew's face starts to fall.

ASA
Nonsense, each of my grandkids gets
a horse from me. It's tradition!

BO
Matthew, are you willing to do what
Grandpa said and take care of her and
brush her and ride her?

MATTHEW
I promise.

Bo looks over at Nora.

MATTHEW
Please mom!

Locking her eyes with Bo's Nora smiles then looks at her son.

NORA
Yes you can keep her.

MATTHEW
(high fives Asa)
Yes!

NORA
On one condition!

Matthew stops celebrating.

MATTHEW
What?

NORA
That you be very, very careful and
that you promise to give your old
mom a ride every now and then.

BO
(teasing)
That sounds like two conditions to me.

Nora elbows him in the ribs.

BO
Ow!

Hurrying to Bo and Nora Matthew throws his arms around them.

MATTHEW
Thanks Mom! Thanks Dad! Can
we go out and see her now?

ASA
You bet. Let's go.

Matthew runs out the door at high speed.

NORA
(calling after him)
Wait for us young man. No running!

Bo just watches his family and smiles.

INT. ASA'S LIVING ROOM - DAY

Nora is alone on her way out of the living room with the reigns in her hand when
she hears her cell phone ring from her purse. Unable to resist she finds it and
answers.

NORA
Nora Buchanan.

MAN (V.O.)
Just don't know what it means
when someone asks you to leave
it alone do you?

NORA
Who is this? How did you get this
number?

MAN (V.O.)
Just someone who hates seeing bad
things happen to good people.

NORA
What? Hello? Hello?

Suddenly a hand reaches out and rests on her shoulder. Unsettled by the phone
call Nora is shocked.

NORA
Wha!? Oh, Bo, you startled me.

BO
Everything ok Red?

NORA
Yeah.

BO
Who was on the phone.

NORA
That? Oh, no one. Wrong number.

BO
(not buying it)
Oh.

NORA
I found the reigns. We better get out
there before our son explodes.

BO
(still concerned)
Yeah. Right.

Nora turns to go and Bo follows but the worried look is still carving lines into his
face.

INT. NORA'S LIVING ROOM - EVENING

Nora is busy sorting through mail when Bo comes walking down the stairs.

BO
He' out.

NORA
You certainly have the touch dad.

BO
I think it had a little more to do with all
of the excitement and the three hour horse
ride. Not to mention the crash from that
major sugar rush he was on for most of
the day.

NORA
(laughing)
Yeah we all managed to get our fill of
sugar this afternoon. I'm afraid I still
haven't hit the crash part of the evening
though.

BO
Heart's still racing huh?

NORA
Like crazy. It's just as well I guess, I
have a ton of work to catch up on.

BO
Speaking of work, fill me in on this
thing at Llanview U. Is everything
ok with that?

NORA
If your asking if everything is on the
up and up at the University, no.

BO
What do you mean?

NORA
Something very strange is going on over
there Bo. I just haven't put my finger on
what yet.

BO
What do you know so far?

NORA
Well, I told you before that I was having
a terrible time getting any of the students
involved in any of those reports to return
my calls.

Bo nods.

NORA
I thought the fact that it was summer
semester was partially to blame but
the fall semester is about to start and
still no calls.

BO
Maybe they're just getting settled in.

NORA
Maybe, but I don't think that's it. I
did manage to sit down with one of
the students involved not too long ago
and - I don't know Bo, she seemed
afraid to me.

BO
Afraid?

NORA
Yeah. It's like something, or someone
has these kids afraid to talk.

BO
Ok, what else?

NORA
Well, Erika, the student I talked to,
shot out of the coffee shop like she
had just seen a ghost the day we
talked but she did manage to give
me a name and a number.

BO
For another student?

NORA
I didn't know at the time but I got
a hold of him and it turns out he
was the student working the phones
for the campus police when a lot of
these calls came in.

BO
So he can explain all of the problems
with the reports then.

NORA
No. When I checked the list of
employees at campus police his
name wasn't even on it. I talked
to him about the reports and he told
me that he filed detailed records
according to campus police policy
and he can't image how they were
changed or why none of them
were called into LPD.

BO
Wait a minute, you mean that some of
those so called "crank" calls were
once actual reports?

NORA
(nodding)
Reports containing information on
all kinds of serious crimes Bo. We're
talking vandalism, assault, car theft,
rape.

BO
Rape?

NORA
He told me one of the calls he took
was from a girl reporting that her
best friend had been raped.

BO
And that report was -

NORA
Never called in to LPD.

Bo can't believe what he's hearing.

BO
So where is this student now? Is he
changing the way the reports are
handled there?

NORA
No. Bo, he doesn't work for campus
police anymore.

BO
Oh, that's right. Why not?

NORA
A month or so ago, the middle of the
semester, the head of his department
called him in and let him know that
he had been awarded a full ride
scholarship effective immediately.

BO
In the middle of the semester?

Nora nods.

BO
Isn't that a little odd?

NORA
He was also told that he would need
to devote more time to his studies as
well as work several hours a week in
a lab on campus which meant.

BO
He would have to quite his job at
campus police.

NORA
Bingo.

BO
Awfully convenient.

NORA
It gets better. I talked with the head of
the department responsible for Danny's
so called scholarship today. He told me
that he, himself, was pretty surprised
to see a scholarship come up in the
middle of the semester the way it did but
that when the office of the President
tells you to give someone a scholarship.

BO
The President of the University?

NORA
(nodding)
Apparently the command came from the
top. The call came in that there was
some found money that they felt would
be best used in that department and a
scholarship was formed for the funds.

BO
Oh, well, maybe that isn't such a bad -

NORA
A scholarship that was to be given
to one specific student and no one
else.

BO
This Danny you talked to.

NORA
Exactly.

BO
Ok. I see what you're saying, something
is most definitely not adding up here.

NORA
Yeah, well, unfortunately everything I
have at the moment could be ruled a
mere coincidence. I'm still not even
sure what we're looking at here but I
do know that something isn't right.

BO
You mentioned the possibility of a rape.

NORA
I had Detective Carter pull up contact
information on the girl that made the
call. I talked to her roommate and she's
expecting her back for fall semester any
day now so I should get a hold of her
soon.

Bo waits for more. Nothing.

BO
That's all?

NORA
What do you mean?

BO
You've told me everything there is
about what's going on with this?

Nora can't help but think of the calls and the letter. Glancing toward the desk she
has a sudden urge to tell Bo but stops herself. It's probably nothing more than
kids playing a prank and Bo has enough on his plate without having to worry
about her too.

NORA
Yeah.

Bo isn't buying it, he's worried, and the fact that she isn't telling him about the
calls worries him even more.

BO
Ok, but I want your promise Red
that if this things starts to get weird,
or out of hand, or dangerous in any
way, you're going to let me know
immediately.

NORA
Bo, I'm fine. Nothings going to go
wrong with this. Don't worry so
much Commish.

BO
I mean it Nora, I don't like the idea
of you putting yourself in danger.

NORA
You have nothing to worry about.

BO
That wasn't a promise Red.

MATTHEW (O.S.)
Mom! Could you bring me a drink?

NORA
Sure honey, I'll be right up.

BO
Nora -

NORA
(kissing him on the cheek)
Don't worry. I'll be fine. Now you've
got to get home and I've got to get our
son a glass of water.

He doesn't want to but he'll let it go - for now.

BO
Ok. Tell him I love him.

NORA
I will. Goodnight Bo.

BO
Goodnight.

EXT. NORA'S FRONT DOOR - NIGHT

Closing the door behind him Bo pauses.

BO
Ok Red, what aren't you telling me?

INT. NORA'S LIVING ROOM - NIGHT

Watching Bo let himself out Nora waits until the door is closed then opens the
desk drawer and removes the letter.

NORA
It's nothing but a couple of kids
Commish. Nothing to worry
about.

MATTHEW (O.S.)
Mommy!

Startled by Matthew's call Nora returns the letter to the drawer and heads for the
kitchen.

NORA
I'll be right there!