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    Written by: Ray Kolle   Produced by: Posie Jacobs   Directed by: Brian Lennane

Brett sighs heavily, pauses and then snaps that there's no way; there's no way he's going to get mixed up in any robbery; he'll get the money some other way. Judge asks curtly, "How?" Brett, though, just snaps that he won't do anything criminal. Judge suggests to him that he needs more time to think, and he stands up and heads outside. Tracy tells Brett that she'll see what she can do, and she follows Judge outside, closing the kitchen door behind her. As she does so, Judge growls at her, "I thought you'd softened him up." Tracy assures him, "He'll come around." Judge retorts, "He'd better. I've been knocking off those videos for months. Sooner or later, they're going to do a check and find a couple of dozen missing. We've got make it look like the kid's been knocking the things off, not me." Tracy smirks, "We'll get him. Just give me a bit more time. We'll soon have both him and his little girlfriend right where we want them..."

In the kitchen at Beryl's, Beryl offers Rod more tea. He declines, though, and says he'd better be going. He adds that the cake she served was beautiful; she's a very good cook. Beryl muses that she just hopes tonight's dinner turns out better than the last one! Rod asks in mock indignation if she didn't like the fish! Beryl smiles that the fish was lovely; it was her roast she was thinking about! Rod laughs, "That was Spider's fault, wasn't it! Always getting something wrong, the old rogue!" Beryl smiles, "I think you're as fond of him as the rest of us!" Suddenly looking serious, Rod says, "Jessica adored him. Young Julie finds him a bit harder to take, though." Beryl queries, "Jessica was Spider's oldest daughter?" Rod nods, "Yeah, we named Jess after her. She's got a mind of her own, that kid! A little bit too much like her brother, Barry, for mine." Beryl comments, "You hardly mention him." Rod sighs, "No, well, er, Barry and I have had a bit of a set-to; he's left home. I haven't seen him since." Changing the subject, he announces that he'd better get going. He asks if he should come over at about 6pm this evening, and Beryl says that would be fine. Rod, though, then suddenly recalls that Jess is due home from her camp this afternoon and he explains to Beryl that he promised he'd take her out to dinner tonight. Beryl tells him to bring her along. Rod asks if she's sure, and Beryl smiles that she'd like to meet her! With that, they head out into the lounge room, where Leigh is polishing the dining table and humming. Rod comments that someone sounds happy! Leigh looks at him and says, "Do I?" She then adds, "You know, sometimes I almost forget what's ahead..." Beryl tells her, "Well I think it's best if you do try and forget. Cross that bridge when you come to it."

At the boarding house, in Sydney, Irene sits down with Fiona in Fiona's flat and asks her how she's feeling now. Fiona sighs that she's still a bit shaky; finding that body was something she really didn't need. She then goes on, "They tell me the police arrested Leo." Irene comments that it's sad; as far as Leo was concerned, he was just getting rid of a man who was upsetting a lot of people. She adds that he got very agitated at the police station when they started questioning him and in the end they had to sedate him. Fiona says she feels so sorry for him. Irene then goes on that, after the sedative had taken effect, Leo mentioned Hung; she tried to work out what he was going on about, but she couldn't make much sense of it.

Hung is lying on a bed in the shed in the secluded area in the grounds of Crossley House, reading the newspaper. After a few seconds, he sits up and starts looking around, moving bits of equipment out of the way. As he moves one piece, he suddenly pulls his hand away sharply. He looks down to see a large, dangerous-looking, spider lying on the bench. He grabs his newspaper, rolls it up and hits it.

Chris is gardening in the grounds at Crossley House when Fiona approaches him. They exchange muted greetings and Chris then tells Fiona that he's moved his gear out of the boarding house and he'll give her a full week's rent when he gets paid. Fiona, though, tells him that that isn't necessary. She then says she's sorry about Leo. Chris murmurs, "Yeah." Fiona goes on that, apparently, down at the police station, Leo mentioned something about Hung, and she asks Chris if Leo said anything to him. Chris mutters, "No." Fiona continues that she supposes Leo must have known how he felt about Hung; she doesn't know if he could've-- Chris interrupts and snaps, "You think Leo might have killed Hung?" Fiona quickly says, "Oh no. Well, perhaps he... oh look, I don't know." Chris snaps at her, "You're paranoid about that kid, aren't you? First you accuse me of doing something to him; now Leo." Fiona insists that it's just that she doesn't know where Hung is or what's happened to him. Chris tells her that if he could help her, he would, but there's one thing he knows for sure: Leo wouldn't have hurt the kid; he likes Hung; Leo was his friend.

In the shed, Hung runs to the door and tries to push it open, but it doesn't budge. He calls for Leo and then looks at his hand, fearfully.

In Melbourne, Spider is standing on a footpath, talking to a middle-aged guy and saying, "It's true. I've got no family... no friends... I'm really on my uppers, mate. All I need is $5, just for a feed and a bed for the night." The man, though, retorts, "Look, I don't give money to beggars, mate. Now push off." He walks away and Spider mutters, "Go to blazes, you old skinflint." He starts walking along the path again. Adam suddenly climbs out of a car parked nearby and asks him what he's up to. Spider quickly says, "Me? I was just giving him directions. I told him where to go." Adam laughs, "I know. I heard." He goes on, "I've been watching you for the last ten minutes. That's the fourth bloke you pulled up. You've been begging, haven't you?" Spider mutters, "Never." Adam, though, retorts that that's what it looked like to him. He adds that it's against the law. He then goes on that he'll let Spider off with a warning this time. He asks him how much he made, but Spider admits, "Hardly a zak." Adam offers him a few dollars. Spider asks, "$399?" Adam stares at him and asks him what on earth he needs that much for. Spider blusters, "I... I... I owe it to somebody." Adam says, "I'm sorry, mate. It's a bit rich for me." He then warns Spider not to try the begging again, and he tells him to get off home.

At David's country house, Brett puts a bowl of food down on the kitchen floor for Isabella. The back door suddenly opens and Spider walks in. Brett tells him that Charlie is still in Sydney. Spider, though, explains that he came to see him. They sit down, and Spider tells Brett that he knows he's worried about the dough, and he's sorry Beryl didn't come across. Brett mutters that he doesn't want her money anyway. Spider retorts that she'd have lent it to him if he hadn't been tied-up with that Tracy girl. Brett snaps that she's not that bad; she's different to other girls he's ever met; she's more... Spider interrupts and snaps, "More trouble." Brett tells Spider that he appreciates him coming round, but there's no way he can help him. He heads to the 'fridge to get some beers, and as he does so, Spider asks him what he's going to do, as Judge isn't going to wait forever. Brett replies, "He offered me a job, but I knocked him back. I reckon I might have to reconsider." Spider asks what it was. Brett, though, tells him, "It's best that you not know, I reckon."

A while later, Spider is standing on the front doorstep at Beryl's. She opens the door and, finding him standing there, comments, "Back again?" He heads into the house, saying as he does so that he's just been over to see young Brett; he doesn't know what the kid's got in mind, but he hopes it isn't something silly. Leigh - who's still polishing the living room table - asks him what he's talking about. Spider explains, "That crowd he's got mixed-up with: Tracy and her mob." Beryl comments that she thought he'd have come to his senses after this morning. Spider, though, tells her, "No, more's the pity - and she's still pulling the wool over his eyes." Leigh remarks that she doesn't understand why she's even bothering; Brett must have told her that the two of them aren't seeing each other any more. Spider says he doesn't know anything about that; he just knows that he's in a heck of a lot of trouble. Beryl sighs that maybe she was a bit harsh on him; she probably will lend him the money, on condition that he doesn't have anything more to do with Tracy. Spider assures her that that would solve everything.

Brett is standing in the middle of a public walkway. Tracy approaches him and says, "Glad you rang me." Brett, though, retorts, "Are you? Or are you happy that I'll gonna help your mate out?" Tracy retorts, "I just wanna get you off the hook, that's all." Judge suddenly approaches them and Tracy tells him, "Brett wants to talk to you." Judge looks at Brett and says, "I'm listening." Brett says to him, "If I do what you want, then I don't have to stick around, right? I go in and open the warehouse from the inside, then shoot through." Judge agrees, "Right." Brett adds, "Then I won't have to owe you any money, right?" Judge tells him, "Not a thing." Brett sighs, "Alright, I'll do it." Judge says, "Tonight. Meet me here at 10:30pm and keep out of sight." Brett nods at him and goes to walk off., Judge, though, calls after him, "Oh, mate..." Brett looks back at him and he adds menacingly, "I don't like welchers. You said you'd do it, so do it. If you try and back out, then your girlfriend's face might end up looking not so pretty." Brett glances at Tracy. Judge, though, tells him, "No, no, not Trace. The other one - whatsername. Leigh something." Tracy chips in, "Leigh Palmer." Looking annoyed, Brett snaps at Tracy, "What did you tell him about Leigh for?" Tracy retorts, "I just must have mentioned her name. No big deal." Brett, though, growls, "Like hell. You've been in this all along - you and your mate, here." He indicates Judge. Tracy goes to put her arms round him, but Brett pushes her away and snaps, "I'm not an idiot, Tracy." Tracy snaps back, "Look, I don't give a damn what you think. Just remember what Judge said: either you go through with it, or Leigh cops it." Judge adds, "You'd better believe it, mate." Brett mutters, "I'll be there. But you both keep away from her, alright?" With that, he walks off.

Spider is sitting at the kitchen table at Beryl's. Beryl and Leigh are pottering around in the kitchen. There's suddenly a knock on the back door and it opens and Brett comes in. Beryl, looking surprised, tells him that she was trying to ring him. She invites him to stay for dinner, but he explains that he can't stay. He then admits, "You were right about Tracy - she's played me for a real mug." Beryl says, "I'm glad you've finally woken up to yourself." She then explains, "The reason I was trying to ring you was to tell you that I will lend you the money. Now, I expect you to pay it back, but I don't want to see you in trouble." Brett thanks her, but adds that it's too late now: he's arranged to pay it off. Spider asks in surprise, "Judge agreed to that?" Brett nods, "Yeah." Leigh comments sarcastically that he's OK, then; they've all been worried about nothing. With that, she marches off to set the table in the living room. When she's gone, Spider comments to Brett, "You didn't expect her to fall into your arms, did you? You've given her a rough time, one way or another." Brett murmurs that he knows. He follows Leigh out into the living room, where he says, "I'm sorry I ever got involved with Tracy." Leigh mutters, "I bet you are." Brett sighs, "I know you're still crook on me, and I don't blame you, but just be a bit careful, eh? One of Tracy's friends is a real thug - he might be out to give you a hard time." Leigh asks, "Why?" Brett replies, "Because of Tracy." He adds that she doesn't have to worry about it too much; after tonight, everything should be OK. Leigh asks what's happening tonight. Brett tells her quickly, "Nothing. I'm just going to lay my first payment to The Judge, that's all. I reckon he'll lay off then..."

Hung is banging on the door of the shed at Crossley House, crying distantly, "Leo... help me..." He looks feverish. He staggers over to the bed and goes to lie down, but misses it and collapses onto the floor.

Chris is still gardening elsewhere in the grounds. Irene suddenly approaches him and asks how it's all going. He replies that it's OK. Irene then tells him that she's sorry he left the boarding house; he should have given it another go. Chris, though, tells her, "Not with the way Fiona is at the moment. She came round here earlier on, hassling me about Hung." He adds, "There's no way Leo would have hurt him." Irene agrees, "No, I don't think so, either. And in fact, I've been wondering if he wasn't trying to help him in some way." Looking surprised, Chris asks, "How?" Irene replies, "By hiding him." She goes on that Samantha remembers at one stage Leo saying he was hungry, so she took him a sandwich, but he didn't eat it; maybe he was saving it for Hung? Chris admits that he could have been. Irene adds that she had a word with the housekeeper at Crossley House, too, and she said she found Leo creeping around the kitchens a couple of times. Chris asks where Leo would hide Hung. Irene asks if there's nowhere round there he can think of. Chris says, "No - not without him having been found already." Irene suggests to him that he give it a bit more thought; he might come up with something. With that, she walks off.

At Beryl's, Leigh is folding napkins at the living room table. Spider is with her and he comments that Brett seemed pretty worried when he left; he doesn't know why he didn't accept Beryl's offer, as it's better to pay her back than Judge. Leigh explains, "He was worried about Judge trying to hurt me." Spider asks, "You reckon you ought to talk to Adam?" Leigh, though, sighs that they can't keep dragging him into their problems - and Brett did say everything would be OK after tonight. Spider mutters that he just hopes the boy hasn't got himself into something he can't get out of.

Chris is approaching the shed at Crossley House. A woman is following him, and she demands to know what he's doing with her keys. Chris replies that he's just borrowing them for a moment. The woman mutters that there's nothing in the shed but junk. Chris asks her if her keys have gone missing at all, lately. The woman, though, says she doesn't think so - she always leaves them hanging on a hook in the kitchen. She asks why, and Chris explains that he was wondering if Leo wanted a copy of the shed key. The woman asks, "Why would he want to do that?" Chris suggests, "We'll soon see..." He puts a key in the padlock on the door, pulls it open and immediately finds Hung lying unconscious on the floor. The woman follows him in and exclaims, "Good heavens, who's that?" Chris bends down and examines Hung and then turns to the woman and says, "Get a doctor, quickly - he's been bitten by a funnelweb spider." The woman rushes off, as Chris stays with Hung and ties a handkerchief tightly around his arm and places a blanket under his head.

That night, in Fiona's flat at the boarding house, Fiona pours some champagne and hands glasses to Chris and Irene. She then proposes, "Here's to Hung. Thank God he's safe." Irene says he should he able to leave hospital in a day-or-so; the anti-venom works very quickly. Fiona then looks at Chris and adds, "And here's to you, Chris. Without you, Hung could have died." Chris tells her, "All I did was think of a place Leo might have taken him. I remember once that Leo helped me stack some old furniture in the shed; it's quite a long way from the house - easy enough for someone to hide there without being spotted." Irene tells him, "It's a damn good thing you thought to use your handkerchief as a pressure bandage. If the poison had gone any further, Hung mightn't have stood a chance." Chris muses, "It's funny: when I saw him lying there, I forgot that he was Vietnamese or anything else. He was just a poor, helpless kid." Irene suggests, "It says a lot about prejudice, eh?" Fiona invites, "Look, why don't you come back and stay at the boarding house?" Chris, though, tells her, "Dad really drummed it into me about these people. I'd like to think I've shaken it off completely, but I'm not certain I have." Fiona suggests, "Come back and stay... get to know Hung." Chris murmurs that he can't make any promises. Fiona asks him if he's willing to try. Chris sighs and nods, "OK." Irene then asks Fiona if she realises that the Immigration Department might not allow her to keep Hung there, now. Fiona, though, retorts, "They're going to have one hell of a battle to try and stop me."

Spider, Rod, Beryl, Adam and Leigh are all sitting around the living room table at Beryl's. Beryl says she might make some more coffee. Adam, though, declines, saying he's going on duty shortly. He then thanks her for a great meal. Leigh goes with him to the front door, to see him out. When they've gone, Spider whispers to Rod and Beryl, "He's not a bad bloke - for a cop!" Beryl tells him that she thinks Adam is a very nice young man - and she appreciates the way he's looking after Leigh. Spider comments that it's not very difficult - it sticks out a mile that he's keen on her. The three of them get up and head out to the kitchen, Rod telling Beryl as they do so that he's sorry Jess didn't come. Beryl says she can understand her being tired after her trip. Rod then tells Spider that he's going to push off, if he wants a lift. Spider says he'll get his jacket, and he heads back out to the lounge room. Leigh is back out there, and Spider says to her, "Listen, girly, you will go after young Brett, won't you? The more I think about him, the more I worry." Leigh asks, "About what?" Spider replies, "He didn't take that offer from Beryl. I've got a feeling he's thinking of some silly way to get that money." A look of concern crosses Leigh's face.

Tracy is standing in the dark outside the warehouse that Judge and Brett are breaking into. On the roof of the warehouse, Judge ties one end of a rope around a metal pole and the other, which is formed into a loop, he places around Brett, beneath his arms. He then tells Brett that he'll lower him down slowly. Brett asks in concern, "Are you sure you can hold my weight?" Judge retorts, "It's fixed. You won't hit the bottom." Brett growls, "Oh, terrific, I'll just have my arms pulled out of my sockets." Judge snaps at him to stop whinging. Brett snaps back, "I'm nicking off as soon as I open those doors." Judge retorts, "That's what we agreed." He then starts to lower Brett down through the skylight, into the warehouse. After a few seconds, he reaches the bottom. On the roof, Judge steps back and walks away. He goes and looks down at Tracy, still standing on the ground, and nods to her. She acknowledges his signal and then runs off.

Leigh and Beryl are sitting in their nightclothes and dressing gowns in the kitchen at Beryl's. Beryl comments that Rod was a bit quiet tonight; she thinks it had something to do with his daughter not coming with him. Leigh remarks that she didn't notice. The 'phone suddenly starts ringing and Leigh goes to get it, saying it'll probably be Adam. Beryl heads off to bed. Leigh picks up the 'phone and Tracy comes on, saying, "Leigh?" Leigh says, "Yes." Tracy tells her, "It's Tracy," and Leigh immediately snaps, "I'm not interested in talking to you." Tracy, though, cries, "It's about Brett. It's urgent. Don't hang up." Leigh demands, "What about Brett?" Tracy tells her, "He's in trouble. He's going to knock off a warehouse; I've tried to talk him out of it, but he won't listen to me." Leigh growls, "I don't believe you. You're just trying to get at me." Tracy says, "I admit that's why I first started seeing him. But then I really got to like him, and now he's mixed up with some really bad types." Leigh mutters, "Yeah - and you're one of them." Tracy insists, "Leigh, I just don't want to see him end up in jail - and you're the only one who can talk him out of doing something stupid." Leigh snaps, "You talk him out of it." Tracy, though, retorts, "He won't listen to me." She then sighs, "Fair enough. I just thought you cared about him, that's all. I made a mistake. Too bad if he ends up in Pentridge. Just don't say I didn't try to warn you. See you around some time." She goes to hang up. Leigh, though, suddenly looking worried, says quickly, "Hang on, Tracy. Where is the warehouse?" In the public 'phone box that Tracy is standing in, a nasty smile crosses Tracy's face...

Brett is walking around inside the warehouse, a torch in his hand. He calls up to Judge, on the roof, and tells him that it's not going to work; the door's a double-locker; he can't open it. Judge calls back to him, "Hang on a tick." He then goes and peers back over the roof, and a smile crosses his face as he sees Tracy running back towards him and sticking her thumb up. He makes his way back to the skylight, unties the rope from the pole it's secured to and then drops it down inside the warehouse. Brett looks at it in surprise and cries, "What the hell's going on?" Judge taunts, "Looks like you're trapped, mate. But don't worry: the police will be here soon - as soon as they get a tip-off about someone breaking-in..."

 

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