Best shot is right, Terry. Poor Christie. What a tin ear for people, both Lucy and Johnny. What in the world made her think that a woman who had just tried to slap her silly would be open to a business proposition? She's obviously never heard of the concept of choosing your timing.

Christie has met a sad but predictable end. And Lucy is now a suspect if she left any prints at all in that apartment.

The one issue I had was Christie's reaction to Lucy's attacks. In my experience, people like Christie aren't usually so self-aware. They're more likely to defend themselves and stay in deep denial than to come to their senses and resolve to change their ways. I think if she's going to have a turn-around like that you might want to lay a little more foundation for it, some reason for us to believe that she is capable of repentance. It does make her death all the more tragic, though I wouldn't have held out much hope for her making good on her intentions even if she had lived.

Terrific description of Christie's POV of the attack. (It doesn't seem right to put a thumbs-up here, since that's way too cheerful for a gory murder. Great job with a horrible scene, if that makes any sense.)

And, assuming that it was Johnny who was doing the bludgeoning, it shows exactly what Toni has been warning about all along: Johnny losing his temper and creating, literally, a bloody mess.

Great part, looking forward to more.

I knew somebody would die, I just didn't realize how strongly Johnny's anger would be focused on Christie. Sad to put it this way, but at least the Mountaintops don't have to deal with her antics anymore. Although you put the work in to just start to develop her character, and then you kill her.

I see Lois and Clark involved in an investigation into Christie's death, since Lucy would be a suspect. Lois has the pretext for defending her sister, Clark as it ties in to his current investigation, and they start to notice each other more and more?

Please give us a little more detail on this money man, and is Lex going to make an appearance in, say, the next five parts?

Woody, I thought that the money man was Lex. Did I just imagine that, Terry? I seem to remember Toni knowing that Lex was The Boss and saying, at least to herself, that he wanted to get into the record business.

- Happy

if this turns into a murder investigation into lucy, i think i will scream....maybe i should wait till the story's finished posting and then i won't freak out for days on end.....great part though...

Okay, I so did not see that stuff coming. Well, I'm not surprised that Christie didn't make it, but the when and how

Gripping part, Terry. And now I'm scared

Michael

You may be right, HG. Somehow the description of him didn't resonate with me as being Lex, but Terry could have been describing the Lex of this story.

If so, ugghhh again on Christie's suggestion. Lucy getting involved with Lex? Although that makes me both worried and interested in what may transpire between Lex and the Mountaintops.

Thanks for reading, FOLCs. I'm posting the next chapter tonight instead of waiting because I'm going out of town in the morning. My 90-year-old father is in intensive care, breathing on a ventilator, losing kidney function, and receiving what his wife called "comfort care." I'm sure the medical pros among us know exactly what that means, but the upshot is that I anticipate that these are his last days, if not his last hours. I covet your good wishes and thoughts, and most especially your prayers.

Thank you all so very, very much.

Dear Terry: My thoughts and prayers are with you.

I'll be praying for you and your family, Terry.