Monday's segment: The Timeline
Official Independence Day Website (this link works): http://haven-park.911mb.com
And now, without further adieu....
ID: By the numbers
In this feature, take a look at all the facts and figures of the story so far.
Arc One Overview:
Title: The Beginnings
Length: One prologue, ten chapters, two interludes. Note: This is the longest arc thus far.
Wordcount: 52,508
Betcha didn’t know: This is the only arc that was not assigned a theme song.
Chapter 0: Prologue:
Release date: June 3, 2009
Wordcount: 759
Characters introduced: Carol Mathison, Jeff Howard, Terri Englund (mentioned only)
Betcha didn’t know: This is the only chapter for which I did not make a promotional graphic; At less than a thousand words, this is the shortest chapter to date; Aside from flashbacks and interludes, this is the only chapter in which we get to see Carol alive and well.
Recap: Carol confronts Jeff on an affair. He denies it. She does not believe him and leaves the house an intoxicated mess.
Chapter 1:
Release date: July 4, 2009
Wordcount: 2,699
Characters introduced: Shane Marcette, Officer Brinks, Stanley Rogers (mentioned only), Terri Englund, Lucas Brady (mentioned only), Lance Englund (mentioned only), Marnie Blake, Evan Blake (mentioned only), Brett Woodward, Maryellen James.
Betcha didn’t know: We had a very strong premiere - this chapter garnered more feedback than any other.
Recap: Shane, Brinks and the Haven Park PD discover Carol’s body in the park. Immediately, Shane suspects that Jeff was responsible…. Terri muses over the fight she had with her husband the night before and decides to make a visit to the church for Brett to solve her problem, as he often did. When she got there, however, she found both Marnie and Brett shaken up and Brett told her that Carol was dead…. Busybody Mrs. James gave Brinks an earful about Carol leaving the house alone the night before and Jeff returning alone at around three in the morning…. Shane and Brinks pay a visit to Jeff, where he surprises them by guessing Carol is dead before they can tell him.
Chapter 2:
Release date: July 11, 2009
Wordcount: 3,772
Characters introduced: Lucas Brady, Evan Blake, Francine Blake.
Betcha didn’t know: This chapter offers the first of many flashbacks of Carol.
Recap: Shane fiercely interrogates Jeff, but has no choice to let him go, because he cannot prove anything…. Terri thinks back to the last conversation she had with Carol, and despite her better judgment, seeks solace with Lucas. Lucas seems oddly unmoved by the news of Carol’s death, and says a few inappropriate things that send Terri running for the door. She has a sinking suspicion that he was involved in the crime…. Marnie comes home to find Evan in another one of his freak outs. He at first mistakes her for Francine, then comes to his senses, babbling on about what a horrible person he is and how she could not possibly love him after all he’d done. When Marnie asks what Evan did that was so bad, he tells her he is a murderer.
Chapter 3:
Release date: July 26, 2009
Wordcount: 3,043
Characters introduced: Julia Woodward, Lance Englund, Helen Adams
Betcha didn’t know: There is nothing remarkable or interesting about this chapter or its developments, a wonder in and of itself.
Recap: Julia notices Brett’s somber mood and asks if he wants to talk about it, he refuses. He goes on about how none of it makes any sense, then implies that Jeff might have had something to do with the crime. Julia immediately leaps to Jeff’s defense. The subject switches to Terri and Julia rolls her eyes while Brett laments the perils of poor Peaches…. Lance returns home to find the house a mess and Terri strung out and has a fit. Terri tries to calm him down and justify her behavior by telling him Carol is dead. He does not seem to care, firing back at her that she’s disgusting…. Marnie learns from her mother that Jeff is a suspect in the crime, and she finds this hard to believe, remembering Jeff’s obvious adoration for Carol.
Chapter 4:
Release date: August 17, 2009
Wordcount: 3,492
Characters introduced: Stanley Rogers
Betcha didn’t know: The last scene was tacked on at the last minute to give the chapter a bit more length. It’s now my favorite.
Recap: Marnie pays a visit to Jeff, who despite his best efforts to hide it, is on the verse of emotional collapse. Marnie offers her support, but Jeff rebuffs her. Marnie advises him not to worry about what anyone else says or thinks of him…. Julia, manning the phones at the church for an unusually late Marnie, is appalled by some of the things the congregation has to say about Jeff and Carol’s murder. She is equally appalled by Terri’s appearance when she comes in. Terri tells Brett that she’s done a lot of thinking and praying about something and she really needs his help, sharing that it’s about Lance…. Shane receives a call from a distraught Stanley, who berates him for lack of progress with the case.
Chapter 5:
Release date: September 18, 2009
Wordcount: 3,815
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This remains my favorite chapter, out of everything I’ve ever written; This is the only chapter I ever considered perfect after just a first draft; This was the last chapter to be released before my hiatus last year.
Recap: Lance goes to see Lucas and tells him to stay away from his wife. Lucas doesn’t take him very seriously, and when things become physical, Lucas implies that he knows about the physical abuse Lance doles out on Terri. Lance is horrified, because nothing of the sort has ever happened…. Evan surprises Marnie with a candlelight dinner and an apology for his behavior of late. He continues to allude to the terrible things he’s done and for a moment, Marnie wonders if he could be referring to Carol’s murder. She quickly writes it off, though…. Shane calls Brett and asks him to meet him at the bar, where he drunkenly laments his lack of progress on the case and his inability to save Carol. He goes on to make a scene and publicly accuse Jeff of the crime.
Chapter 6:
Release date: November 27, 2009
Wordcount: 3,164
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This chapter took the longest time to complete, at almost six months; This chapter is our first (and only, to date) glimpse at Francine as a living being and not just an object of obsession.
Recap: Evan relives Francine’s suicide in a particularly vivid nightmare and wonders what he could have done to save her…. Lance, still reeling from Lucas’ allegations the night before, resolves to have as little contact with Terri as possible. She appears to be in a good mood, however, and tells him that she’s been thinking and wants to try marriage counseling, if he’s game. He is surprised, but agrees to it until she says that Brett has agreed to do it. Lance fiercely refuses, referring to his brother in law as a lunatic. He also calls her out on the unfounded abuse allegations, something she denies. Terri tells him that if he doesn’t want to do the counseling, she’ll just leave and under extreme duress, he relents…. On the morning of Carol’s funeral and wake, Jeff is surprised to open his door to Julia, who tells him they need to talk.
Interlude: Wonderful Christmastime:
Release date: November 27, 2009
Wordcount: 3,760
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: Shane is the only regular character not featured in this interlude; This is the first (and only, to date) time that Evan shares a scene with someone other than Marnie, though she is there.
Recap: Carol, drunk before nine a.m. on Christmas morning, argues with Jeff in front of her children. Despite the turmoil, Jeff still sees fit to give her an engagement ring. Before Carol can accept, though, Lance shows up with presents for the children. Carol throws herself together quickly, asking about Terri and accepting Lance’s invitation to come by later that afternoon…. Terri mourns her parents’ deaths quietly, wondering how she could ever go about a normal holiday again. Lance comes home and attempts to comfort her, but she shoves him away…. Evan and Marnie show up at Brett and Julia’s house to wish them a merry Christmas. Evan, completely out of place, loiters by the door and finds a silent kinship with Brett’s suffering over his parents’ passing…. On Christmas Day, Lucas (calling himself John) hitches a ride from Cheyenne, from an older man named Jim.
Chapter 7a:
Release date: January 8, 2010
Wordcount: 2,627
Characters introduced: Elton Frazier, Clayton Pierce.
Betcha didn’t know: If you don’t count the prologue, this is the shortest chapter to date.
Recap: As Haven Park gathers at the church for Carol’s funeral, Brett thinks about the evolution First Baptist has undergone since he’s become pastor. He also fields a number of questions about Julia’s strange absence…. Marnie adverts Mayor Pierce’s advances and declines his offer to go back to City Hall…. Shane apologizes to Brett for his behavior at the bar…. Julia shows up, acting strangely, and runs to the bathroom to collect herself, leaving Marnie to pass out programs and greet the mourners with her mother. Helen says this service reminds her of Francine’s and tells Marnie that Carol and Francine were incredibly close, something Marnie wasn’t aware of…. Shane and Brett emerge from the office just as Jeff is coming in, and Shane immediately leaps at him.
Chapter 7b:
Release date: January 20, 2010
Wordcount: 3,073
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This is the only chapter that was not written by me. Instead, it was contributed by Jay Edwards, as part of AP Networks Writer Swap ’10.
Chapter 7c:
Release date: March 17, 2010
Wordcount: 5,442
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: After the conclusion of the first arc, this version, written by myself, replaced Jay’s in the chapter menu. Jay’s version is still available as bonus material.
Recap: Jeff and Shane face off in the church sanctuary, despite Brett’s best efforts to separate them. Jeff voluntarily leaves, and is trailed by Marnie and Julia. Marnie attempts to calm him down, but Jeff won’t hear of it (in Jay’s version, this scene did not appear)…. Shane is berated by Stanley for the scene he made, then confronted by Mayor Pierce…. Brett opens the service by encouraging his congregation to take comfort in Christ, then moving into his own memories of Carol…. Terri does her best to eulogize her best friend, but breaks down when Lance walked in, unfashionably late…. At the conclusion of the service, Stan and Mona Rogers thank the mourners for coming and Stanley shocks everyone when he directly references the manner in which his daughter died - and the culprit. At the end of the service, Mona requests The Beatles’ peppy “Love Me Do” be played, to commemorate the happier times in Carol’s life.
Chapter 8:
Release date: February 3, 2010
Wordcount: 4,966
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: At the time it was written, this was the longest chapter on record. I believed it to be a fluke, but over time the chapters have grown dramatically longer.
Recap: At the wake, Terri does her best to keep her distance, but still fights with Lance in the reception hall and stormed outside. Lance follows her out, where they yell at each other for a bit before Lucas arrives. Lance punches Lucas and tells him again to stay away from his wife. Lucas retaliates by pulling the switchblade from his pocket and threatening Lance with it. Terri, horrified, pleads with Lucas that it was not worth it and that they should just leave. Lance warns her that if she leaves with Lucas, she was is to come home, but Terri leaves with him anyway…. Shane again offers his apologies to Brett, who tells him he thinks he might be getting too personally involved in the case. Pissed, Shane goes outside where he has to admit to himself that it was the truth. He remembers his history with Carol, including the time he proposed to her, and wonders what might have been before Lance approaches him with the news of Lucas pulling a knife on him…. When Jeff comes home, he finally breaks down as the magnitude of everything hits him full force. He laments his choices and resolves that he could not stay in the house any longer. He also vows to make Shane pay for the way he’s gone after him.
Chapter 9:
Release date: February 20, 2010
Wordcount: 3,477
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This is the only chapter so far to only contain two scenes. The majority have three, other rare ones contain four.
Recap: A few days later, Terri nervously waits for her husband to show up at their scheduled counseling meeting with Brett. Lance finally does, irate that he had to come at all, and immediately sets his crosshairs on Brett. He fires off insult after insult at the pastor, then comes dangerously close to letting Terri’s dirty little secrets out of the bag. He stops himself at the last minute, though, storming out. Terri, shaken, realizes how much he must have loved her to hold back…. Shane is unexpectedly called into a meeting with Elton Frazier and Mayor Pierce, where his conduct was called into question. Frazier berates him for the way he acted at the bar the other night and at Carol’s funeral and informs him that Jeff had consulted a lawyer about it. Before Shane can argue, though, Frazier angrily dismisses him from the Mathison case.
Chapter 10:
Release date: February 20, 2010
Wordcount: 3,933
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: Chapters nine and ten were released simultaneously, in response to gaining 30 fans on my Facebook fan page.
Recap: A stunned Shane attempts to explain his behavior, but Frazier and Mayor Pierce won’t hear of it. Frazier warns Shane to stay away from Jeff from now on…. Julia joins Brett at the office, where he laments not being able to do anything to help Terri and Lance. Julia argues that it’s not his place, then immediately regrets it and apologizes…. Jeff shows up at the church office and tells Marnie he’s now staying in his car. He asks for a loan, but she refuses, saying Evan would have a fit. However, she suggests that he talk to Brett - an idea Jeff immediately shoots down. When Brett and Julia come out of the office, Jeff makes a hasty getaway, leaving Brett to ask Julia what his strange behavior was all about.
Interlude: Fireworks (part one):
Release date: March 3, 2010
Wordcount: 4,486
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: While it was originally in the plan to only have two Fireworks interludes, I now realize that in order to fully lay out what happened on the day Carol died, we will need three.
Recap: Marnie sees Carol at the diner and approaches her to plead Jeff’s case. Carol mocks her and her perceived feelings for Jeff, telling her that Jeff is sleeping with Julia. Marnie furiously denies this, then walks away from the situation before it can get any more heated…. Brett teases Shane about his crazy ex girlfriend Peggy, then gets a call from an irate Lance, demanding to know where Terri is. Brett’s aggravation gets the better of him and he says something more harsh than he intends to Lance, then confides in Shane how difficult he is to deal with. Shane asks what Lance’s big problem with Brett is, and Brett says he still doesn’t know. Shane advises him not to worry about it…. Lucas, busily preparing a drug shipment for the evening, gets an unexpected visit from Carol. She invites herself in and hands over an envelope full of cash, announcing she wishes to make a deal with him.
Arc Two Overview:
Title: Tangled Webs
Theme song: Apologize, by One Republic
Length, thus far: Seven chapters (out of a planned ten, with the second part of the Fireworks interlude to air after chapter 20)
Wordcount, thus far: 37,490
Betcha didn’t know: This arc is filled with self-contained plots, which all come to a dramatic conclusion in chapter 20.
Chapter 11:
Release date: March 17, 2010
Wordcount: 4,054
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This chapter marks the last appearance of Lance Englund; This is one of very few chapters to contain four scenes.
Recap: Julia manages to play off the scenario with Jeff, but still rushes outside to catch her breath…. Lucas notices Terri’s strange mood and knows she’s hiding something. When he confronts her about it, she admits that she went for counseling with Lance earlier. Lucas explodes. Terri does her best to reassure him, but he fiercely berates her for changing her mind and reminds her that she made the choice to be with him. He also reminds her that people tend to get hurt when they betray him…. Out of options, Jeff pays a visit to Lance, to ask him for a job. Lance, however, initially believes that Jeff has come by to once again beg for money. Jeff does his best to prove his true intentions, but Lance still mocks him and all of his prior fleecing techniques. Infuriated that Lance would kick him while he’s down, Jeff calls Lance a smug son of a bitch, then turns to go - but not without offering up one final shot: “And you can quit worrying about all the damn money I owe you. You’ll get it - and a whole lot more too”…. Marnie notices a strange chill in the air, as well as an ominous feeling that something bad is about to happen. She returns home to find Evan in another one of his episodes, and he asks her why she did not tell him she was pregnant.
Chapter 12:
Release date: March 31, 2010
Wordcount: 3,692
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This is the first chapter that provides concrete confirmation of a Jeff/Julia affair. Other chapters before it merely hinted at what might have happened between them.
Recap: Evan continues to freak out, while Marnie does her best to calm him down. She quickly deduces that he believes she is Francine (raising the interesting question of whether or not Francine was pregnant when she died), and does her best to get him to listen to reason. Evan continues to rant and rave, and Marnie finally blasts him for acting crazy. Evan appears to come to his senses for a moment, but the moment is all too fleeting. He is soon on his way out the door, promising to “end something for us”…. At the park, Jeff throws himself a pity party with the only friends he has left: the ducks. Unexpectedly, he is joined by Julia, who gives him some money. Their conversation is awkward and tense, and Jeff makes his plans to leave town known. Julia does her best not to react, but can’t contain her shock. She begs him to reconsider, but he says there’s nothing in Haven Park for him anymore…. Lucas, decked out in all black and armed with two switchblades, prepares to leave for the evening. Terri has a bad feeling about what he’s going to do and tries to dissuade him, but quickly gives up. Lucas leaves Terri one of his switchblades and tells her not to open the door for anyone while he’s gone.
Chapter 13:
Release date: April 14, 2010
Wordcount: 4,552
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This chapter was the last before my brief hiatus in April of 2010; This chapter was the first to be a part of my Lyrical Challenge.
Recap: Marnie worries and prays for Evan’s safety, thinking back to one of their earlier dates. She realizes that he needs far more help than she can give and secretly wonders what she got herself into…. After arriving home, Julia laments her poor choices while Brett sleeps beside her. She thinks back to how many times she tried to break it off with Jeff, and how many times he dissuaded her from doing so, and realizes what a fool she was to trust him. At the end of the scene, the audience learns that Brett has been awake the entire time, and thus knows of her indiscretions…. Terri administers fix after fix as she thinks of far downhill her life has gone in just a few months. She languishes in a stupor for a while until Lucas returns, in a panic. He tells her that they have to go right now and refuses to tell her what happened. Terri, disoriented and dazed, agrees…. Shane is awakened to a call from the police station, letting him know that the killer has claimed another victim.
Chapter 14:
Release date: May 12, 2010
Wordcount: 4,872
Characters introduced: Michael Goldman.
Betcha didn’t know: There’s nothing really interesting about this chapter, either. Hmmm. Guess they can’t all be remarkable, huh?
Recap: Julia notes Brett’s strange behavior in the morning, including sleeping late and his unusual sour mood. She wonders if he might suspect something, but quickly writes it off. Brett, meanwhile, asks a few pointed questions about her whereabouts the night before to make her sweat…. Marnie finds Evan passed out in the car and demands an explanation for the night before. He says he doesn’t want to talk about it, but she persists, telling him he can’t do something like this to her again…. Shane arrives at The Chair Emporium, where he comes face to face with Lance’s body. Right away, he realizes this was not a random crime, nor was it a robbery gone wrong. At the crime scene, he meets Michael, a detective far out of his Laramie jurisdiction, Shane immediately surmises that Michael is there to replace him, an allegation Michael vehemently denies. He is only consulting as a favor to the mayor, he says. He later reveals, though, that he is to be taking over the Mathison case, to Shane’s horror.
Chapter 15:
Release date: May 26, 2010
Wordcount: 5,251
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: If you do not count Chapter 7c, this is the first chapter to be over five thousand words.
Recap: Terri thinks over the ramifications of Lucas’ latest scheme - running off to Casper and starting over as Paul and Nancy Robinson. She realizes that she cannot continue this charade forever and thinks to call Lance, but Lucas awakens before she can. Terri summons up the courage to tell him her misgivings, but he manages to dissuade her, saying, “You’d be surprised how easy it gets. Lies beget lies and tangled webs get woven and soon…soon, you don’t even think about it anymore”…. Jeff pays a visit to Stanley and Mona, in the hopes of saying a proper goodbye to the children. When he gets there, though, he finds that much harder than he expected. He does his best to reassure them (and himself) that this is for the best, before Stan comes into the room. Jeff believes Stan is going to throw him out, but instead, he tells him to sit down, because they need to have a talk…. Shane arrives at the church, hoping Terri might be there, where he is accosted by Julia. She says she has another woman to introduce him to, but Shane refuses, saying he came to see Brett. Shane notices Brett’s disheveled appearance and subdued demeanor, but Brett doesn’t want to talk about it. Shane tells him of Lance’s death and the desperate need to find Terri and Lucas, which only seems to upset the pastor even more.
Chapter 16:
Release date: June 9, 2010
Wordcount: 5,579
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: This chapter was the first to be redone in what I now refer to as “The Great Rewrite of ’10.”
Recap: A few days later, Michael pays a visit to Brett at the church and is struck by a number of things. Brett says he does not know where Terri might be, nor does he know who might have wanted Lance dead or what sort of relationship the Englunds had. Michael brings up Lucas and the possibility that Terri might have been having an affair with him, an allegation Brett vehemently denies…. Still in Casper, drug withdrawals begin to get the better of Terri and she and Lucas argue over the situation. It comes to a head with her announcing she’s leaving, at which point he breaks down and tells her that everyone that he’s ever loved has left him and he’s not about to let her leave too. Terri stays…. Haven Park, reeling from Lance’s murder, bombards the safe and familiar First Baptist with phone calls, leaving Marnie to soothe the savage residents and listen to various speculation about the murder. Her mother only adds to the frenzy, throwing her own two cents in and asking to speak with Brett. Evan walks in, while Marnie is speaking with her mother and announces they need to talk.
Chapter 17:
Release date: June 22, 2010
Wordcount: 6,610
Characters introduced: None
Betcha didn’t know: At almost seven thousand words, this is the longest chapter to date.
Recap: Evan arrives at the church, babbling on about how bad things are happening. Marnie at first believes he is referring to Francine again, but he’s quick to clarify that he means the way he’s been behaving lately. He apologizes, and Marnie carefully tells him that she has a few suggestions to help him get better. She manages to get Evan to agree to stop drinking, seek professional help and stop staying out all night, but when it comes to dismantling his shrine to Francine, he flatly refuses…. Michael tells Shane of his earlier meeting with Brett, bringing up a number of things that he finds bizarre about the pastor. Shane is quick to come to his friend’s defense, inadvertently piquing Michael’s curiosity even more. He vows to get Brett to talk, one way or another…. Julia gets a surprise visit from Jeff, who claims he’s merely come by to update her on his decision to leave town. Before long, though, they find themselves in each other’s arms, though Julia does her best to hold her ground and resist. She asks Jeff to leave and mere seconds later, Brett walks in.
