The Bittersweet Confectionery Caper
EXT. A QUIRKY CANDY SHOP - DAY
Our narrator sets the stage.
NARRATOR: (V.O.) The quaint little town of Moneymaker was bliss for bakers and pastry-lovers alike. And in the heart of the town, was a kooky candy shop that sold treats far more special and bizarre than regular confections.
INT. COOKIE CRUMBLE CANDY SHOP - DAY
The inside of the store is just as remarkable as it appears from outside. Colorful, with jars and shelves filled with peculiarly-named candies and desserts.
NARRATOR: (V.O.) Rumor has it, the eccentric owner of the shop, MISS ANISE LIQUORICE, ran tiny magical errands through every piece of candy she sold.
MISS LIQUORICE, a woman in her late 40s, caters to customers with both geniality and a touch of whimsy. As a mother and her daughter, SUSIE, leave the store, Miss Liquorice bursts into a momentary giggle.
MISS LIQUORICE: (whispering to self) Hee-hee, I hope you enjoy the rainbow-flavored dreams, little Susie.
EXT. COOKIE CRUMBLE CANDY SHOP - SAME
EMERSON, NED, and CHUCK approach the candy shop. They stop just outside.
NARRATOR: (V.O.) But this is a story of a peculiar pie-maker with a peculiar gift, accompanied by a deceased-turned-alive woman, and an occasionally sour private investigator.
EXT. COOKIE CRUMBLE CANDY SHOP - CONTINUOUS
Ned, Emerson and Chuck move inside, while the Narrator continues describing the shop.
NARRATOR: (V.O.) They had a case to solve: the puzzling demise of a certain MS. ANISE LIQUORICE, who reportedly choked on her own candy.
INT. COOKIE CRUMBLE CANDY SHOP - CONTINUOUS
The trio enters. EMERSON proceeds to interact with a struggling young employee, FRANKIE, while NED and CHUCK move to where MISS LIQUORICE's body lay, gaunt and pale, with her tongue ballooned out comically.
NED: No signs of forced entry, no signs of a struggle. This looks like... an accident.
EMERSON: (calling out) Her moonstruck nephew, paid me to investigate. He has his hunches about the jealous rival bakery owner, Mr. Sugarplum.
EMERSON motions to a shady-looking man lurking in the shop, MR. SUGARPLUM.
CHUCK: (nodding) Let's talk to him before we question Miss Liquorice.
NED: Right.
The dynamic duo approaches Mr. Sugarplum, while Emerson keeps an eye on them.
MR. SUGARPLUM: (visibly shaken) I had nothing to do with her death! We were fierce rivals in life, but it was all in good taste.
NING CHUCK: We can't rule you out just yet, Mr. Sugarplum.
NED: (nervously) No, no, we'll just... make sure we have the full story.
As they leave Mr. Sugarplum, Ned briefly lifts his hand, as if he were about to touch Miss Liquorice, but quickly reconsiders. Moments later, he gathers courage and resurrects her.
MISS LIQUORICE: (gasping) What happened? I bit into a candy I was working on... (realizing) Wait, who are you? What's happening?
NED: We're trying to figure out if your death was an accident or something more sinister. You don't have much time, so any details help.
MISS LIQUORICE: All I remember is blackness... and a strange, metallic taste in my mouth.
CHUCK: Metallic? That's... unusual.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Pushing Daisies: The Ghost Pepper Mystery
INT. PIE HOLE - DAY
Ned (Lee Pace) is serving customers at the Pie Hole as Chuck (Anna Friel) helps Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) in the kitchen. Emerson (Chi McBride) enters the diner with a case in hand.
EMERSON
I hope you're in the mood for something spicy, Pie Boy. I got a mystery involving the world's deadliest pepper: the Ghost Pepper.
NED
Well, that's a spicy way to kick things off. What's the story?
EMERSON
There's a high-end hot sauce manufacturer in town. They've perfected a new sauce so hot, it's rumored to be 'the nectar of death'. The owner turned up dead under... unusual circumstances.
CHUCK
What kind of unusual circumstances?
EMERSON
He was found with a bottle of the new hot sauce in his mouth; completely charred from the inside. People suspect foul play.
OLIVE
Sounds like the perfect case for the Pie Man and his miraculous touch.
NED
I'm in. Let's investigate.
EXT. HOT SAUCE FACTORY - DAY
The Pie Hole gang arrives at the factory; a modern-looking building with the sign 'Scorching Oracle Hot Sauce'.
EMERSON
The deceased owner's name is Richard Cardamon. Rich for short.
NED
Let's find Rich's body and have a chat.
INT. HOT SAUCE FACTORY MORGUE - DAY
Emerson, Ned, and Chuck walk through the morgue. Ned prepares to use his powers on Rich's body.
CHUCK
Remember, you only have a minute to talk before you have to touch him again.
NED
Right. One minute.
Ned touches Rich's body, and he gasps back to life.
RICH
What... what happened? Last thing I remember, I was making an introduction video for our new Ghost Pepper sauce.
NED
We understand it might be a little difficult to talk about, but we'd appreciate your help in solving your... murder.
EMERSON
Do you remember anything suspicious? Anything that felt out of the ordinary?
RICH
Well, now that you mention it, my business partner, Tabasco Tabitha, wasn't happy with our new sauce recipe. She wanted to commercialize it for mass production, and I refused. She must have tampered with it to make it lethal!
EMERSON
Bitter business partners. You can never trust them.
NED
Time's running out.
Ned touches Rich again, and he's back to being dead.
OLIVE
So what's next, team? Are we going to confront this Tabasco Tabitha?
EMERSON
You bet. If she's trying to sabotage the company, we'll catch her red-handed.
TO BE CONTINUED
Pushing Daisies: The Honeybee Mystery
INT. PIE HOLE - DAY
Ned (Lee Pace) and Olive (Kristin Chenoweth) are serving pie to the customers. Chuck (Anna Friel) enters the Pie Hole, excitedly waving a newspaper.
CHUCK:
Guys, you have to see this! There's a mystery beekeeper who's putting exceptional honey at people's doorsteps.
OLIVE:
(sparkling eyes)
A mystery bee-tributor! How honeylicious!
NED:
(smiling)
Seems like a sweet gesture, but what's the mystery?
CHUCK:
No one knows who's behind it, and the honey is supposed to be the best anyone's ever tasted.
EMERSON (Chi McBride) walks in, rolling his eyes.
EMERSON:
Been there, solved that. It's called a publicity stunt.
CHUCK:
I don't think so. I've tasted the honey—it's extraordinary. Maybe it could even be used in some of the pies.
NED:
(curious)
I'm willing to give it a shot. Let's go find this mystery beekeeper.
EXT. PARK - DAY
The foursome follows a trail of honey jars to a partially hidden beehive. A shadowy figure wearing a beekeeper's suit is tending to the bees.
OLIVE:
Whispering
Well, I'll bee darned. There's the mystery beekeeper.
CHUCK:
Let's try talking to him or her.
Chuck approaches the beekeeper cautiously.
CHUCK:
Um, excuse me, Mr. or Ms. Beekeeper? We were wondering if you were the one distributing the honey in town?
The beekeeper turns to reveal VIVIAN (Ellen Greene), who timidly removes her headgear.
VIVIAN:
I didn't mean to cause any harm. I just wanted to share the beauty of this honey with others.
EMERSON:
(skeptical)
So we've got the beekeeper, but why all the secrecy?
NED:
(anxious)
Wait, you're not in any danger, are you?
VIVIAN:
No. I made a promise to these bees that I'd honor their work in secrecy.
OLIVE:
(grinning)
A honeybee oath! You're the bee's knees, Vivian!
CHUCK:
We won't tell anyone it's you, but could we use your honey in our pies at the Pie Hole?
VIVIAN:
I'd be delighted.
INT. PIE HOLE - NIGHT
The customers relish their pies made with a special honey.
CUSTOMER 1:
This might be the best pie I've ever had. What's the secret?
NED:
(smiling)
You could say it's a sweet collaboration.
Suddenly, the door bursts open, and a REPORTER barges in with a camera crew.
REPORTER:
We've received an anonymous tip about the Pie Hole using secret, unregulated honey. Care to comment?
Chuck looks worried, while Emerson glares at Ned.
NED:
(defensively)
There's nothing nefarious going on here. It's just good pie.
TO BE CONTINUED
Pushing Daisies: The Cryptic Cakemonger
EXT. THE PIE HOLE - DAY
An A-Frame sign beside the door reads 'Pie of the Day: Sour Cherry' as CHUCK rushes down the street to arrive at the gleaming retro bakery, her arms full of fresh apricots.
INT. THE PIE HOLE - DAY
The bell above the door JINGLES as Chuck enters, nearly colliding with DIGBY who greets her with a wag of his tail. OLIVE helps her with the apricots while NED, the Pie Maker, solemnly works in the back. Emerson, a hard-boiled private eye, sits at a booth, flipping through a mysterious scrapbook.
CHUCK
(apologetic)
Sorry I'm late! I stopped by the farmer's market on the way back and couldn't resist these beautiful apricots. Maybe an apricot pie? Oh! Or an apricot crumble?
OLIVE
(defensive)
I saw a ladybug land on a bushel of apricots once. I've been leery of them ever since. Something about a ladybug's appetite for apricots just seems... unseemly. What do ladybugs know that we don't?
NED
(teasingly)
Maybe they know the value of taking risks.
Chuck smiles at Ned's response, appreciating his encouragement.
EMERSON
(suddenly serious)
Speaking of risks, take a gander at this. Found it amongst the belongings of our dearly departed Lydia Wooster, aka the Cryptic Cakemonger, owner of Sugar Coat'em.
Emerson slides the scrapbook across the table; there were cryptic messages on each page.
EMERSON (CONT'D)
Lydia didn't just bake her cakes as an innocuous competitor in the market. She baked strange and mysterious messages into her pastries, revealing secrets of the biggest fortune in town.
Ned looks visibly worried about digging into a fellow pastry chef's secrets. He and Olive share questioning glances.
NED
(reluctant)
I can't say it doesn't pique my curiosity, but there's a code of honor among pie makers.
EMERSON
(undaunted)
Oh, now we have a code of honor? We've made pie dough from the shady underworld produce, but when it comes to other bakers in your field, that's where you draw the line. That money is gonna find its way to somebody. Might as well be us.
CHUCK
(supportive)
Ned, I think Emerson is right. If something here might help us, shouldn't we at least give it a try?
Ned looks pained, but acquiesces reluctantly. They huddle around the scrapbook, and the mystery of the Cryptic Cakemonger begins to unfold.
TO BE CONTINUED
Pushing Daisies: Thyme is of the Essence
EXT. THE PIE HOLE - MORNING
NARRATOR (V.O.): Everything starts with a seed. Just as from a tiny seed, a mighty tree can grow, on this particular day, a single thought would be the seed for an idea that would grow into a story, twisting and turning like branches reaching for the sky.
INT. THE PIE HOLE - MORNING
NED, CHUCK, and OLIVE are preparing to open the Pie Hole. There's a hustle to their actions, signaling that something important is afoot.
OLIVE: We have to move faster, people! The annual Pie-Eating Contest is today, and we've got to win this year! I won't let that smug face from Lanie's Ladles bask in victory again!
CHUCK: We'll be fine. I think I've created the perfect pie for this event!
NED (smirking): Are you sure it's perfect? Maybe it needs a touch of that...special ingredient?
CHUCK (blushing): Maybe not that special, but it's one I've been researching for a while.
NARRATOR (V.O.): A while, as it happens, was one month, two weeks, five days, and 90 hours of experimentation in the bakery. This particular pie was filled with a plethora of exotic fruits, including a very rare one called the 'Tartanberry' - a fruit only in season for two weeks every six years.
OLIVE: I don't care if it's the most extraordinary pie ever, it won't win us the contest if we don't move faster!
EMERSON: Speaking of fast, we got a dead fella who didn't quite live up to his nickname - "Speedy Joe."
NED: There's no time for that now. We've got pies to bake.
EMERSON: Well, you'd better find some time, because this guy's got a watch company with a hefty reward for his resurrection. Apparently, it's their last waking hope.
OLIVE: Can't we just take the reward money and invest in the Pie Hole?
EMERSON: Your last pie-hole investment involved a fruit buffet for birds. Besides, the birds don't pay me all this cold hard cash.
NED (hesitant): Just give us an hour, and we'll come to help.
NARRATOR: Little did they know that the clock was ticking. The minute hand inched forward to something much more significant than their coveted win.
INT. EMERSON COD'S OFFICE - AFTERNOON
NED, CHUCK, EMERSON, and OLIVE stand around the body of SPEEDY JOE.
NARRATOR (V.O.): Speedy Joe's not-so-promising name derived from his love of antique timepieces, always keeping him entwined in the past. As Ned reached out his finger, his thoughts lingered on how each tick of a clock would forever link the past, the present, and the future.
Ned touches SPEEDY JOE, who springs back to life.
NED: Who killed you, Speedy Joe?
SPEEDY JOE (gasping): To...be...traced...
Before he can divulge any more information, NED touches SPEEDY JOE again, laying him to rest.
NARRATOR: And so, while one story withered and died, another tale began to unfurl, with the fate of the Pie Hole and its occupants hanging precariously in the balance.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Pushing Daisies: The Phantom Scent
INT. PIE HOLE - MORNING
We open to a close-up of a PIE in the display window. The camera pulls back to reveal NED busily stacking pies in the fridge while CHUCK and OLIVE are setting tables in the dining area.
NED: I've never seen so many blueberries...
CHUCK: (smiling) It's blueberry season, after all.
OLIVE: Speaking of berries, have you guys heard about those phantom scents? People all across town are claiming to smell something like mixed berries that they can't quite put their finger on.
NED: (curious) Phantom scents?
CHUCK: Old town legends, maybe?
EMERSON enters the pie hole, with a newspaper in hand.
EMERSON: You guys are not gonna believe this. It seems the phantom scent thing is not just talk. (He unfolds the newspaper to reveal the headline): 'Mixed Berry Mystery: Locals Beware'.
OLIVE: (excited) Can you imagine? A mysterious scent taking over the town. It's like a fairytale.
NED: Or a horror story...
CHUCK: Could it be just some prank?
EMERSON: (deviant smile) I found it, folks. I sniffed out a job. (slamming the newspaper down) We're going down to the lake; they say the scent is strongest there.
OLIVE: (grinning) Like a game of 'follow your nose'!
INT. LAKE - DAY
The gang is at the lake sniffing the air. NED, OLIVE, and CHUCK are all focused intently, but EMERSON seems uninterested.
NED: (inhaling) I don't smell anything.
CHUCK: Wait. I think I smell something... Berries?
OLIVE: (giggles) Maybe it's just the pies you bake, Ned!
EMERSON: (to Ned) You know the rules. She doesn't leave this spot.
NED sighs and nods, holding CHUCK's hand nervously.
EMERSON: Olive and I will go down to the lake and dig deeper, just follow your nose for the money.
They split up, NED and CHUCK stay near the car while OLIVE and EMERSON investigate further by the lake.
EXT. LAKE - DAY
EMERSON and OLIVE find themselves at a small dock, overlooking the lake.
OLIVE: Sniff again, Emerson. I can smell the scent pretty strong now.
EMERSON: (inhaling) Yeah, definitely berries. What kind of creepy joke is this?
They look across the water to see a small, abandoned BOAT HOUSE on the other side.
OLIVE: (pointing) Do you think it's coming from there? The answer to our mystery?
EMERSON: (eyebrow raised) There's only one way to find out.
CUT BACK TO:
EXT. LAKE - DAY
NED and CHUCK watching from the car.
CHUCK: (nervous) I hope they find something. This phantom scent is really intriguing.
NED: (looking down) Chuck... Do you ever think about what life would be if we didn't have to worry about... (gestures the one minute rule)
CHUCK: (sighs) All the time. But we can't change the rules of the game, so let's just play with the cards we've been dealt.
They smile at each other.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Pushing Daisies: The Case of the Wilting Rose
EXT. PIE HOLE - DAY
Ned and Chuck are preparing to open the Pie Hole for the day.
NED: Do you ever feel like our lives are defined by chance? One moment, you're living one life, and then something happens, and suddenly, you're living another.
CHUCK: I think chance plays a part, but ultimately, we choose which path we follow.
As they speak, a MYSTERIOUS WOMAN, dressed elegantly, complete with a HAT adorned with ROSES, walks past the Pie Hole, arousing curiosity. She appears to be sad and is holding a wilted rose.
INT. PIE HOLE - DAY
EMERSON, sitting at the counter, overhears their conversation and observes the woman.
EMERSON: Looks like she chose an unhappy path. I smell a case.
OLIVE, carrying a tray of pies, overhears the conversation.
OLIVE: A case? Count me in!
EXT. PARK - DAY
Ned, Chuck, Emerson, and Olive follow the mysterious woman to a park. Her sadness seems palpable as she sits on a bench, the wilted rose in her hand.
INT. PARK - DAY
Ned, Chuck, Emerson, and Olive decide to approach her.
EMERSON (to the woman): Excuse me, you seem as though you've been wronged. Blackmail? Betrayal? Something of the criminal variety?
MYSTERIOUS WOMAN (tearfully): They were once beautiful, my roses. But now, I hold the last one, wilted and dying. It was the only thing connecting me to my past life, before everything changed.
CHUCK (sympathetic): What happened?
MYSTERIOUS WOMAN: I was a world-class botanist, you see, creating extraordinary and vibrant roses. But one day, a mysterious plague struck my nursery, killing my roses and the future of my family's botanical legacy.
Emerson raises one eyebrow, intrigued.
EMERSON: A mysterious plague, eh? Any enemies or rivals come to mind?
MYSTERIOUS WOMAN: There is one... a rival botanist who always envied my roses. He could never create roses that matched the beauty of mine.
OLIVE (fiercely): We're like a bouquet of vengeance. We'll find out what happened to your roses and get justice for you.
Ned hesitates, remembering the potential implications of his abilities.
NED: We'll do our best. But remember, sometimes the truth can be... complicated.
As the group prepares to leave the park, they notice a ROSY-RED GLOW emitting from one of the dead flowerbeds in the nursery. It catches their attention, and they stare at each other, realizing this case will be a unique one.
TO BE CONTINUED
Pushing Daisies: The Case of the Wind-Up Hare
FADE IN:
EXT. PAPEN COUNTY - DAY
EMERSON COD (40s, deadpan, holding a porcelain hare), NED (late 20s, shy, unsure hands hovering over the hare) and CHUCK (fresh-faced, pretty, early 20s) stand around the hare in the grass, looking out at the windmill in the backdrop.
EMERSON
So, you say this wind-up hare was the centerpiece in old man Winslow's home, eh?
NED
(to Chuck with a slight smile)
Honestly, it reminds me of the rabbits I brought back for you.
CHUCK
(fluttering her eyelashes)
Yes, the rabbits you touched twice, and not once ever again.
NED
(sighs)
Right. Well, let's see what Mr. Winslow has to say.
Ned touches the hare. There's a faint ELECTRICAL BUZZ, and MR. WINSLOW (60s, powdered wig, business attire) appears before them.
MR. WINSLOW
(angrily)
What is the meaning of this?!
EMERSON
Calm down, Richy Rich. You're dead. Now, tell us everything you know about your fancy hare, and who might have offed you?
INT. PIE HOLE - DAY
OLIVE SNOOK (20s, quirky, stubborn) serves pie to a YOUNG, POSH COUPLE, flirty and in love.
CUTS TO
NARRATOR
(voice over, while showing patches of color splash on various baking ingredients)
Chuck created a special, mouthwatering pie that day. The amaretto-apple-ricotta-chain pie; which, coincidentally, would come to be known as the Wind-Up Hare pie...
INT. PAPEN COUNTY - DAY
Back to Ned, Emerson and Chuck with Mr. Winslow.
MR. WINSLOW
(confused and distressed)
A hare? I have no hare! Only my windmill! You have the wrong Winslow!
Suddenly, MR. WINSLOW starts to fade. Ned touches the porcelain hare again, but there's nothing he can do. Mr. Winslow is gone forever.
NED
(defeated)
I couldn't save him...
CHUCK
(delicate smile, hopeful)
Let's go back to the Pie Hole. We need to crack this hare case before it's too late.
CUT TO:
INT. PIE HOLE - DAY
The trio enters the Pie Hole, and Olive excitedly rushes over.
OLIVE
Look! The couple just couldn't get enough of this pie I served them. And they're not the only ones.
Looking around, they notice even the REGULAR CUSTOMERS are taking pictures of their pies and exclaiming their love for the new recipe.
NARRATOR
(in explaining tone)
You see, Olive had a knack for finding... as she found herself unknowingly embroiled in the case of the Wind-Up Hare.
TO BE CONTINUED.
Pushing Daisies: A Taste of Misfortune
INT. THE PIE HOLE - DAY
NARRATOR (V.O.):
It was a deceptively calm afternoon at The Pie Hole, and Ned was doing what he did best: baking pies.
NED's hands sculpt a perfect pie crust, while CHUCK watches, entranced.
CHUCK:
You make it look so easy.
NED:
Years of practice. Though, I must admit, it's nice to share the process with someone, despite the... complications.
The complications he’s referring to are their inability to touch or she would die, yet again.
OLIVE enters from the back room, interrupting their moment.
OLIVE:
We have a customer, Pie Man. Some guy says he needs your help.
NED sighs, wiping his hands on an apron. He leaves the pies behind, approaching the customer.
INT. THE PIE HOLE - SEATING AREA - CONTINUOUS
EMERSON COD sits across from a distraught-looking man, TIM JENSEN.
NED:
Hi, I'm Ned. How can I help you?
TIM (nervously):
I need you to find someone. My brother. He disappeared last night, and the police say it's too soon to investigate.
EMERSON:
Alright, let's talk numbers. You pay, we play.
Tim hands over an envelope, which Emerson greedily accepts.
CHUCK and OLIVE walk up, curious about the case.
EMERSON:
It seems our pal Tim here has a missing brother, and we need to find him.
The gang shares excited looks.
EXT. TIM'S BROTHER'S HOUSE - DAY
The team arrives at a lovely suburban abode, where Tim's brother, WESLEY JENSEN, lived alone.
INT. TIM'S BROTHER'S HOUSE - DAY
Inside, the house is immaculate. Except for a peculiar thing we find in the living room.
OLIVE:
Uh, guys? You need to see this.
Everyone gathers around to investigate. A PIE, with a single slice removed, sits on a table.
NED (whispers):
That's one of my pies...But how did it get here?
CHUCK:
Maybe he was a customer?
NARRATOR (V.O.):
Indeed, Wesley was a loyal customer of The Pie Hole. A fact neither Ned nor the others could've foreseen.
EMERSON:
Well, we can't be certain until we're certain. Let's search the place!
As they investigate, Olive spots something unusual.
OLIVE:
This doesn't look good.
Olive reveals the table leg, splintered and caked with blood.
CHUCK:
Oh no... He could already be dead.
NED:
Alright, let's find out.
INT. FUNERAL HOME - NIGHT
The gang has found Wesley's body, ripe for resurrection.
Chucking a look at the others, Ned touches Wesley's shoulder, and he awakens with a GASP.]
WESLEY (panicked):
No, please, don't eat me! That pie... it was cursed!
The team shares puzzled looks as they ponder the connection between a pie, a curse, and Wesley's untimely end.
As the clock ticks down, Ned prepares to touch Wesley again, but before he does we hear ...
TO BE CONTINUED.
Pushing Daisies: The Astral Allium
EXT. PIE HOLE - DAY
NARRATOR (V.O.): Their day began like any other at the Pie Hole, where pie-maker Ned whipped up some delicious pies whilst engaging in colorful conversations with his co-workers.
INT. PIE HOLE - DAY
NED: How's the Moroccan Rhubarb Pie experiment going?
OLIVE: I've never tasted anything so unexpectedly good! Only you, Ned, could have come up with such an unusual combination!
CHUCK, having just come from the kitchen, joins the conversation.
CHUCK: You, sir, are truly the Picasso of pies.
NED: Well, pies are where I express myself best. Besides, it had to have been fate that brought that Moroccan rhubarb to our doorstep.
NARRATOR (V.O.): Little did they know how true it would become.
Suddenly, EMERSON enters with a newspaper in hand.
EMERSON: Plan extended vacation, cash in every scratch ticket, whatever you all do to get ready, do it. We got a new case!
OLIVE: What's this one about?
EMERSON: (reads aloud) Astronomer found dead near the observatory -- cause of death unknown.
NED: (wincing) What a strange coincidence.
NARRATOR (V.O.): Ned's words would soon prove monumental.
EXT. OBSERVATORY - DAY
The observatory sits alone on a hill. The gang arrives, climbing out of their car with a sense of urgency.
INT. OBSERVATORY - DAY
NED, CHUCK, OLIVE, and EMERSON walk in. They see the BODY of DR. CHANDLER, the dead astronomer, lying on the floor.
EMERSON: Remember, one minute for questions.
NED touches DR. CHANDLER's hand, bringing him back to life.
DR. CHANDLER: (gasp) Wha-what happened?
CHUCK: Dr. Chandler, we don't have much time. We need to know what happened and who killed you.
DR. CHANDLER: I... I don't know... someone must've... there was a flower... an Allium... There was some sort of... energy...
NED touches him again, returning him to his lifeless state.
NED: Were those his last words?
OLIVE: Mysterious...
EMERSON: Oops, didn't catch that.
CHUCK: Allium? As in the family of onions, leeks, and garlic?
NED: Or maybe it was more like an Allium Stipitatum, right before it blooms? Like the rare one I received complimentary with the Moroccan rhubarb?
CHUCK: Let's get back to the Pie Hole and investigate!
EXT. PIE HOLE - DAY
They rush back to the diner in haste.
INT. PIE HOLE - DAY
NED, CHUCK, OLIVE, and EMERSON arrive, breathless. The shy allium stands on the counter, almost pulsating with power.
OLIVE: So... that's it?
NED: The Astral Allium... it must be.
NARRATOR (V.O.): And with that, the mystery began to unravel.
TO BE CONTINUED...
