AS THE MOUSE

OVES©

Soap Opera "As The Mouse Moves" - Friday April 19th 2002
Tiffany sat down at her desk and opened her appointment book ready to get an early start on her days work.  She glanced at the phone on her desk and noticed that all three incoming telephone lines were on hold and the lights were blinking. She picked up the phone and didn't hear any conversation on any of the lines and took them off of hold shaking her head in wonder.  She also had noticed the radio on her desk was on and tuned into a station she had never listened to before.  She suddenly remembered noticing on her way into the townhouse that her boss Clarks' car wasn't parked in it's usual spot either.
The phone on her desk rang and she quickly picked it up. "Good morning Manhattan Party Planning," she answered.
"Are you going to talk to Clark and tell him what you heard on the news about Nicole's Father being a reported crime boss," her sister Starlene asked.
"I don't know.  I thought about mentioning it…but it's strange…." she said lowering her voice when she thought she had heard something upstairs.
"What's the matter?" Starlene asked alarmed at the tone in Tiffany's voice.
"I hear something upstairs," Tiffany whispered.
"Oh God.  Tiffany do you think it's a burglar."
"I don't know.  Let me turn down the radio," she said reaching for the button on the radio and turning it down. She immediately heard a soft moan.
"There's someone upstairs and Clark's car isn't out front where I usually see it in the mornings," Tiffany whispered into the phone.
"Do you want me to call the police?"
"No.  Wait…I hear it again."
"Want me to come over there?"
"No. Hold on and I'll walk up the stairs a little ways and see if I can hear better," Tiffany said.
"No don't do that," Starlene said as she heard the phone being placed on the desk and her sister's footsteps on the hardwood floors.
Tiffany tiptoed across the living room and took a few steps forward on the stairs.  She didn't hear anything.  She walked up the stairs on her tiptoes to the landing on the second floor. She saw the door to Clark's office closed.  She put her hand on the doorknob and paused wondering if she should open it.  She decided to quickly open the door and run down the stairs if she found Clark dead on the floor or some other grizzly scene.  She turned the knob and opened the door pushing it hard so that it flung against the wall in his office.
"Tiffany, I'll be down in a few minutes!" Clark called.  She turned her head as her hand flew up to her mouth.  She quickly ran down the stairs and back across the living room to her desk.  She grabbed the phone on her desk.
"Starlene are you still there?" she said gasping for breath.
"Yes.  What is it?  Are you okay?"
"Clark's on the sofa with Nicole," Tiffany said in a hushed whisper.
"Uhhh!  Are they doing it?"
"Yes!  I caught them in the act," Tiffany said still shocked from her discovery.
"What are you going to do now?"
"I don't know. They both know I saw them.  He's not going to be too happy about me knowing this," Tiffany said as she heard footsteps on the floor above her.
"I think you better tell him what we saw on the news about Nicole's Father being a reported crime boss," Starlene said.
"I think it's too late to save him now," Tiffany said as she heard Nicole giggling.
"Tiffany, you have to tell him or just show him the morning newspaper," Starlene said.
"What do you mean?"
"Just get the newspaper and look at the front page."
CONTINUED MONDAY. MORE SOAP PHOTOS BELOW.