Death Crush

DEATH CRUSH is the original pilot script for a one-hour mystery series called WINE CRIMES where two women who bicycle into the wineries encounter crimes. Winemaker, Karl Kaufman, disturbed at his office the night before, is found in the grape crusher the next day during a tour of a new winery. On the tour, Carly Brooks, manager of a mall wine boutique and Janet Wilson, editor of a community newspaper, meet Detective Inspector, Mike Malone, who heads the murder investigation and is Janet’s former lover. Carly gets a call that her son, Shawn, has been picked up for shoplifting in her mall. Mike has to take Janet to the police station since the victim clutched a paper with her name on it. Carly retrieves her son who must now spend the summer doing community work at a horse farm for disabled riders. In the car enroute, Mike and Janet talk about why are not together. Winery security Bob Powers finds custodian Joe Gordon slumped under a barrel. Mike takes Janet back to the winery where she meets suave winery manager from Italy, Giani Yacconi. Winery tour guide, Shelley gets caught in the wine store taking money out of the til. While taking garbage bags to the dumpster, Joe Gordon puts some cases of wine into his trunk. Bob and Shelley meet at night in the winery parking lot and later she is found dead near the dumpster. Joe spies on Giani and an elusive visitor who talk about the fate of the winery. When Carly goes to see Giani at his office but doesn’t answer her cell phone, Janet visits Shawn at the stables to find her whereabouts. Janet phones Mike that she is going to winery and he will meet her there. In the winery basement, a man fills up wine tank with water with Carly inside. Mistaking the man to be Giani, Janet needs to fight the man to rescue Carly from drowning. Mike and the police arrive to get Carly out of the tank and arrest the twin men. Helping a blind girl Debbie in the horse ring, Shawn is watched by Janet and Carly who invite Mike for lunch at another new winery and another possible crime.