Doug feels guilty about Gerry
OVERCOME BY GUILT AND GRIEF, DOUG IS A VULNERABLE MAN…
As Gerry is laid to rest this week, Doug remains convinced that he was responsible for the teenager’s tragic death.
Painfully oblivious that Lachlan was actually Gerry’s brutal killer, Doug is weighed down by the burden of what he believes he has done. So when mysterious stranger Terry – who claims to be a relative of Gerry’s – notifies Doug that he’s suing the
B&B for Gerry’s death, the broken man can barely cope. But can Terry be trusted?
“This is all just absolutely devastating for Doug – he thinks he killed Gerry,” sighs Duncan Preston, who plays Doug. “He’s mortified, and in a state of flux. Gerry was someone who he could talk to, and they were learning from each other. He knows he’ll be facing charges for Gerry’s death, and he reckons that he deserves to be!”
When Doug discovers the supposedly grieving Terry sleeping in his car, he offers him a free room at the B&B. Having already pleaded with the man to drop his lawsuit, Diane and Pollard are understandably stunned as Doug announces that Terry will be their guest. But while Doug believes it’s the least he can do, others are not so sure about the newcomer.
“Doug just wants to atone for what he thinks he’s done to Gerry, and believes Terry can be trusted,” shares Duncan. “After what’s happened, he can only see the good in people, so he has no suspicions of this man whatsoever. He thinks he’s doing Terry a favour and hopes he can persuade him not to sue the B&B. But there’s every chance that Terry is only out for his own gains…”
When Terry later tells Doug, Diane and Eric that he’ll be dropping his case against their business, Doug’s convinced that it shows he was right to have faith.
But – ironically – it’s Lachlan who’s next to start suspecting Terry of being up to no good, after Liv shows him Gerry’s hand-drawn comics. Knowing they could incriminate him for Gerry’s death, he asks Terry to hand them back – but, sensing his desperation, Terry refuses. Doug then confides in Lachlan that he’s sold his car to give Terry money – revealing Terry’s true colours in the process.
Doug just wants to atone for what he thinks he’s done...”
“It’s just as the funeral is starting that Doug tells
Terry he’s put the cash in his room,” explains Duncan. “Terry’s supposed to be reading the eulogy, but as soon he knows about the cash, he bolts – leaving Doug to do the eulogy instead.”
While Doug is delivering a heartfelt speech, Terry is back at the B&B, preparing to leg it with his ill-gotten gains. But when Lachlan confronts him in the midst of his hasty exit, will he stop the con man from making off with Doug’s money – or betray the poor man for a second time?