(airdate: 29 Sep 95) A Tree Grows in Trinity sound files

"I'm coming for you, boy." Sheriff Lucas Buck

As firefighters extinguish the blaze that destroyed Caleb Temple's house, Sheriff Lucas Buck organizes the search for Caleb. Dr. Matt Crower is called back to the hospital. The Sheriff meets Gail Emory and she accompanies him on the search as Deputy Ben Healy drives Dr. Crower back to the hospital.

While Lucas searches for Caleb, Selena Coombs arrives at the hospital and talks to Curtis Webb, the coroner who will perform the autopsies on Gage and Merlyn Temple. Her job is to distract Dr. Crower. During her conversation with the doctor, we learn that his wife and daughter are dead. Meanwhile, the coroner goes to the morgue but, rather than perform the autopsies, he simply records what Lucas told him to say. As he leaves, his tape recorder begins to play by itself. The equipment and instruments in the room begin to shake and rattle and when he sees that Merlyn has turned her head and is staring at him, he runs out of the room.

Caleb is running, trying to stay ahead of Lucas Buck. When he gets to the river, Merlyn appears to him. He tells her that the Sheriff thinks he is his father and Merlyn tells Caleb that Lucas wants to raise him in his image. Caleb breaks a limb off a tree, ties his sweatshirt around it, and throws it into the river to fool the dogs tracking him. When he gets into a boat and begins to row upstream, Merlyn tells him he may not like what he finds there. Upstream Caleb comes across the cemetery and discovers not only Merlyn's grave but also his father's grave. After Caleb leaves the cemetery, he finds an old house. As he walks through the rooms a man grabs him. Caleb is frightened and runs out of the room, locking the door behind him. He hears the dogs in the distance and realizes he is trapped between the man in the next room and Lucas Buck.

Lucas and Gail talk about the death of Gail's parents as they search for Caleb. When Lucas says they died in a fire and asks if she really wants the details, it's obvious she thinks Lucas had something to do with her parents' deaths when she replies that they died because they were locked in the building. One of Lucas' deputies finds Caleb's sweathshirt and Lucas takes the tree branch and places it against the tree. He closes his eyes and sees Caleb and Merlyn.

Merlyn appears to Caleb the next morning and tells Caleb that the man in the next room needs his help. Caleb goes into the room and finds the man lying on an old mattress, tied to a pole by a rope around his neck. The man cannot speak and Caleb tells him that he'll go for help.

Lucas Buck says a few words and plants a tree at the funeral service for Gage and Merlyn Temple. After the service, Gail begins questioning Ben about Gage Temple but Lucas interrupts. Gail says her editor has called the Trinity area the Bermuda Triangle of tourism and tells Lucas that a reporter from Miami came up to investigate last spring and disappeared.

Dr. Crower questions the coroner about the autopsies. He tells Curtis that the Sheriff was the last person to see Gage, his wife, and Merlyn alive and asks him why he's protecting Lucas. The coroner replies "Because I have a family, too."

On her way back to town, Gail almost runs into Caleb, who is standing in the middle of the road. She and Caleb go to the hospital to tell Dr. Matt about the man Caleb found. When Caleb pulls the money the man gave him out of his pocket, an ID card falls to the floor. Gail picks it up and sees that it belongs to the Miami reporter, Rafael Santo. After they leave, Lucas and Ben enter Dr. Matt's office and Lucas sees the reporter's ID card. Ben retrieves his lucky pen from the desk.

As Lucas and Selena drive out to the old house, we learn that Selena is the one who was keeping the man there. When Selena tells Lucas that the reporter won't say anything, he asks "What did you do, bite his tongue off in a fit of passion?" Selena looks away and we realize that's exactly what she did.

At the house, Dr. Matt examines the man and tells Gail that he won't make it to the hospital. Rafael shows Gail a briefcase containing his notes on his investigation before he dies. Caleb becomes upset and runs out just as Lucas and Selena arrive. Lucas tells Dr. Matt and Gail that Rafael attacked and robbed Selena and then was double-crossed by his partner, Gage Temple. He takes the briefcase as evidence.

Caleb runs to the cemetery and we see that the sapling Lucas planted has become a full grown tree. Merlyn is there and Caleb tells her he doesn't want to see her. He's mad because she told him he could help Rafael. Lightening strikes the tree and it falls on Merlyn. Caleb calls for her but she has disappeared.

"Where you been all these years, Missy, lose your car keys?" Lucas to Gail Emory.

"If this doctor gives me any more trouble, you're going to shoot him." Lucas to Ben.

1. August 2002